belles-lettres

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belles-let·tres / ˌbel ˈletrə/ • pl. n. [also treated as sing.] 1. essays, particularly of literary and artistic criticism, written and read primarily for their aesthetic effect.2. literature considered as a fine art.DERIVATIVES: bel·let·rism / belˈletrizəm/ n.bel·let·rist / belˈletrist/ n.bel·let·ris·tic / ˌbeləˈtristik/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

belles-lettres

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belles-lettres XVIII. — F., lit. ‘fine letters or literature’, parallel to beaux arts fine arts; see BELLE, LETTER.
Hence belletrist, belletristic XIX.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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