BELLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does belle mean? 

• BELLE (noun)
  The noun BELLE has 1 sense:

1. a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals

  Familiarity information: BELLE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BELLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

she was the belle of the ball

Hypernyms ("belle" is a kind of...):

fille; girl; miss; missy; young lady; young woman (a young female)

 Context examples 

Belle went with your brother, and John drove Maria.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

I should think there were fifty ladies and gentlemen present—all of the first county families; and Miss Ingram was considered the belle of the evening.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Amy especially enjoyed this high honor, and became quite a belle among them, for her ladyship early felt and learned to use the gift of fascination with which she was endowed.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Now, ma belle, to supper.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Barclay, who died the other day, was sergeant in the same company as myself, and the belle of the regiment, ay, and the finest girl that ever had the breath of life between her lips, was Nancy Devoy, the daughter of the colour-sergeant.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Such sayings exist in numerous languages: other examples in English include "Grape or grain, but never the twain”, while Germans claim “Wein auf Bier, das rat’ ich Dir—Bier auf Wein, das lass’ sein” and the French say “Bière sur vin est venin, vin sur bière est belle manière”.###!!!###

(Wine before beer, or beer before wine? Either way, you’ll be hungover, University of Cambridge)

To examine and arrange these things gave Amy great satisfaction, especially the jewel cases, in which on velvet cushions reposed the ornaments which had adorned a belle forty years ago.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

'Tis true that a French wench took it all off Peter as quick as the Frenchman paid it; but what then? By the twang of string! it would be a bad thing if money was not made to be spent; and how better than on woman—eh, ma belle?

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He and Miss Wilson took the liberty of falling in love with each other—at least Tedo and I thought so; we surprised sundry tender glances and sighs which we interpreted as tokens of 'la belle passion,' and I promise you the public soon had the benefit of our discovery; we employed it as a sort of lever to hoist our dead-weights from the house.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Not being a belle or even a fashionable lady, Meg did not experience this affliction till her babies were a year old, for in her little world primitive customs prevailed, and she found herself more admired and beloved than ever.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)