French word

belle-fille

Pronunciation

IPA/bɛlfij/

Meaning

  • feminine noundaughter-in-law

Example

Ma belle-fille est venue nous voir hier.

My daughter-in-law came to see us yesterday.

Illustration for belle-fille (daughter-in-law)

More examples

Sa belle-fille travaille dans une école.

His daughter-in-law works at a school.

Core concept

A woman who enters a family as a daughter through marriage, either as a son's wife or as a spouse's daughter.

Common phrases

  • ma belle-fille

    my daughter-in-law

  • ta belle-fille

    your daughter-in-law

  • votre belle-fille

    your daughter-in-law

Similar words

fille: A daughter in relation to her parent.
belle-mère: A spouse's mother.
beau-fils: A man who is married to another person's child.
belle-sœur: A spouse's sister.

Definition in French

Désigne, par alliance, une femme considérée comme 'fille' au sein d'une famille, incluant l'épouse du fils ou la fille du conjoint selon le contexte.

Word origin

The compound belle-fille combines belle, the feminine form of beau, with fille, which comes from Latin filia, meaning daughter.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English, belle-fille covers both daughter-in-law and stepdaughter, so context often determines the intended relationship.

Other meanings

  • stepdaughternoun

Word lists with this word