bellevue
bellevue Lexical Profile
• noun
American A major city in King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle and recognized as a prominent technology and business hub.
"Many prominent technology companies have established large corporate offices in Bellevue due to its proximity to Seattle."
American The oldest public hospital in the United States, located in New York City, historically famous for its psychiatric facilities.
"The medical student was thrilled to secure her psychiatric residency at Bellevue."
Word Nuance & Usage
In older American colloquial usage, 'Bellevue' is sometimes used as a metonym for a psychiatric hospital, referencing the historic psychiatric wards of Bellevue Hospital in New York City.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the French 'bellevue', literally meaning 'beautiful view' (from 'belle' beautiful + 'vue' view). It was widely adopted as an elegant place name in English-speaking regions.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.