Meaning & use
Bronte
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
The surname of a famous family of 19th-century English novelists, especially Charlotte, Emily and Anne.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it normally takes no article: Bronte wrote novels.
Patterns
- the Bronte sisters
- the Bronte family
The Bronte sisters grew up on the wild Yorkshire moors.
Many tourists visit Haworth to see where the Brontes lived.
She is writing her thesis on the Bronte novels.
proper nounproper
A place name, especially Bronte in Sicily, Italy, or Bronte in Ontario, Canada.
Grammar: As a place name it takes no article unless the name itself includes one.
Patterns
- Bronte, Sicily
- Bronte, Ontario
Bronte is a small town on the slopes of Mount Etna.
They moved to Bronte, a town west of Toronto.
Common combinations
- the Bronte sisters
- The Bronte sisters published under male pen names.
- Bronte novels
- Her course covers Bronte novels and Victorian poetry.
- Bronte country
- The walk takes you through Bronte country in West Yorkshire.
- Emily Bronte
- Emily Bronte wrote only one novel.
Word family
- Brontean adjective
- Relating to the Brontes or their style, as in a Brontean landscape.
Commonly confused: Bronte or brontë? Bronte or brontosaurus?
Bronte vs brontë
The two dots (a diaeresis) are sometimes printed over the final e to show it is pronounced, but plain Bronte is far more common.
Bronte vs brontosaurus
This is a dinosaur name; it starts with the same letters but is a completely different word.
Practice
Which sentence uses the name Bronte correctly?
Choose one answer.
As a family name it takes -s for the plural and a capital letter: the Brontes. The other options either treat it as a common noun or use the wrong form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Bronte”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.