Brontë sisters

5.8

Three English sisters who wrote famous novels in the 1800s

proper noun
/ˈbrɒnteɪ ˈsɪstərz/

Literature

: hermanas Brontë

Many literary scholars have studied the novels written by the Brontë sisters.

Examples

The Brontë sisters lived in Haworth and are admired for their significant contributions to English literature.
The Brontë sisters wrote many famous novels.
A guided tour of the parsonage where the Brontë sisters grew up is available for visitors.
Have you read any books by the Brontë sisters?
A guided tour of the parsonage where the Brontë sisters grew up is available for visitors.
Many literary scholars have studied the novels written by the Brontë sisters.
The Brontë sisters lived in Haworth and are admired for their significant contributions to English literature.

Surface Forms

Brontë sisters main

Morphology

Brontë + sister

The phrase combines a family name and 'sisters', so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it denotes female siblings with the surname Brontë. However, the specific encyclopedic meaning (that these are three 19th‑century renowned novelists) requires cultural/world knowledge beyond the literal parts, so the expression is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Brontë sisters comes from their family name Brontë and the fact that three real sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, wrote famous novels together. They lived in a small house on the Yorkshire moors and at first used male pen names. Today Brontë sisters refers to those three 19th-century English novelists.