Word noun
belle
n.
US /ˈbɛɫ/ UK /bˈɛl/ belle UK spelling belle's, belle's
Definition
- 01 C2 Proficiency
a very attractive woman, especially the most beautiful one at a social event.
a beautiful woman, frequently used in the context of a social gathering to identify the most popular or attractive female guest.
Simple“She was the belle of the ball in her stunning red dress.”
In context“As the belle of the evening, she found herself constantly surrounded by admirers eager for a moment of her attention.”
UsageCommonly appears in the fixed idiom 'belle of the ball'.
Teacher's tipThis term is largely dated or literary; in modern conversation, it is almost exclusively used within the phrase 'belle of the ball'.
Etymology
From French belle (“beauty, beautiful”), from Latin bella.
Diminutive of Isabelle and Annabelle.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This entry
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Frequent
Updated