béatitude, n.f., beatitude, blessedness.
beau or bel, belle, adj., [bel before nouns singular beginning with a vowel or h mute], beautiful, fine, lovely, handsome; fair; smart, spruce; glorious; lofty, noble; seemly, becoming. Une belle journée; a fine day. C’est un beau parleur; he is a fine-spoken man. Se faire beau; to make one’s self smart. Comme vous voilà beau aujourd’hui! how spruce you are to-day! Une belle femme; a handsome woman. De beaux traits; handsome features. Un beau teint; a fair complexion. Le beau sexe; the fair sex. Le temps se met au beau; the weather is clearing up. À beau jeu, beau retour; one good turn deserves another. Donner beau jeu à quelqu’un; to give any one good cards, to give any one fair play. Avoir beau jeu; to have good cards, to have fair play. Prendre sa belle; to seize the opportunity. Faire un beau coup; to make a lucky hit. Une belle âme; a lofty soul. Il fait beau se promener aujourd’hui; it is fine weather for walking to-day. Il en fait de belles; he is going on at a fine rate, playing fine tricks. Il m’en a compté de belles; he told me a lot of lies. Il m’en a compté de belles sur votre compte; he abused you right and left to me. Belle demande! a fine request to make! Il l’a échappé belle; he has had a narrow escape of it. Charles le Bel; (of France) Charles the Fair. Philippe le Bel; (of France) Philip the Fair. Philippe le Beau; (of Spain) Philip the Handsome. Le beau monde; the fashionable world. Mourir de sa belle mort; to die a natural death. Au beau milieu; in the very middle. La belle plume fait le bel oiseau; fine feathers make fine birds. Déchirer à belles dents; to criticize mercilessly, to rend any one. Il fera beau quand j’y retournera; it will be a long day before I go there again. Être dans de beaux draps; to be in a pretty pickle.
beau, bel, belle, adv. De plus belle; with renewed ardor, worse than ever. Tout beau; gently, not so fast. Avoir beau faire; to try in vain. J’ai beau faire; it is in vain that I try. Avoir beau dire; to speak in vain. J’ai beau dire; it is useless for me to speak. Bel et bien; entirely, quite, altogether. Bel et bon; all very fine. Voir tout en beau; to see everything through rose-colored spectacles. Faire le beau; (of dogs) to beg. Jouer la belle; to play the rubber.
beau, n.m., belle, n.f., beauty; beau, belle; charmer.
beaucoup, adv., many much; a great many, a great deal; deeply; considerably; far. Avoir — d’argent; to have much money. Avoir — d’enfants; to have many children. Il a — de patience; he has a great deal of patience. À — près; by a great deal; near. Il n’est pas à — près aussi riche qu’un tel; he is not nearly so rich as so-and-so. Il s’intéresse — à votre affaire; he is deeply interested in your case. De —; by far. Vous l’emportez de — sur lui; you are far superior to him. Vous le surpassez de —; you are far beyond him. Il s’en faut de — que son ouvrage soit achevé; his work is very far from being finished. À — moins; for much less. — de bruit pour rien; much ado about nothing.
beau-fils, n.m., (—x-—) son-in-law.
beau-frère, n.m., (—x-—s) brother-in-law.
beau-père, n.m., (—x-—s) father-in-law.
beaupré, n.m., (nav.) bowsprit.
beau-semblant, n.m., (—x-—s) pretense, feint.