belletrism
/bɛlˈlɛtˌɹɪzəm/
belletrism means the writing of belles-lettres. It carries an Arena rating of 1320, earned across 57 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, belletrism ranks #4,400 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,583 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #7,822 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #10,118 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
belletrism is pronounced /bɛlˈlɛtˌɹɪzəm/.
Why “belletrism” is a great word
BELLETRISM — [Noun] The practice or principle of writing belles-lettres, emphasizing aesthetic and stylistic qualities over practical or informative content. From French belles-lettres (literally "fine letters," meaning elegant literature) + the English suffix -ism, denoting a practice or system. Unlike journalism, which is bound to the currency of fact, or scholarship, which builds on a scaffold of evidence, belletrism elevates style itself to an intellectual pursuit. It is the deliberate scratch of a fountain pen on heavy stationery, the essay polished for rhythm rather than argument, and the sentence constructed to be admired as a self-sufficient object—a quiet, persistent faith in the music of meaning itself.
Etymology
From French belles-lettres + -ism.
noun
- The writing of belles-lettres.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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