ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Beyoncé in dictionary FILE PHOTO: Beyoncé accepts Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for “Renaissance” onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Beyoncé was recently immortalized in a French encyclopedic dictionary. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording A)
(Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording A)
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Beyoncé may have already dominated R&B, pop and country music, but now she’s taking over the French language.
Queen Bey is being added to the French dictionary.
The Times was the first to report that Beyoncé is being added to Petit Larousse Illustré.
She is one of 40 people added to the encyclopedic dictionary with her entry reading “American singer of R&B and pop,” Billboard reported.
Other celebrities included in the dictionary are Cate Blanchett, LeBron James and Christopher Nolan.
Larousse’s head of dictionaries and encyclopedias Carine Girac-Marinier told Le Point, that they were chosen to “reflect concerns, developments or strong movements this year,” according to Billboard.
They also matched the “values of the Petit Larousse — excellence and promotion of French culture,” US Weekly reported. Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mother, is of Louisiana Creole heritage, according to the publication.
The dictionary is updated annually and the nearly four dozen honorees were chosen by a jury who created a list of about 150 words and names recognizable to French speakers, TMZ reported.
Beyoncé has already made her mark on language. “Bootylicious” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2004. The OED defines “bootylicious” as a woman who is “sexually attractive, sexy; shapely.”
She has spoken about being immortalized in the dictionary for “bootylicious,” saying, “I wrote the song, but I wish there was another word I could have come up with if I was going to have a word in the dictionary,” Beyoncé told TV Hits in the past.
The Petit Larousse is a one-volume encyclopedic dictionary first published in 1905. It had its first major revision in 1935, and again several times, the most recent in 2012. It is now updated each year.
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Photos: Beyonce through the years Here are some memorable photos of Beyonce through the years. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 1998: Destiny's Child performs at halftime of the New York Giants vs. New York Jets game on August 20, 1998, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 1999: Destiny's Child, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Robertson, Kelly Rowland and Beyonce Knowles, at the 13th annual Soul Train Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1999. (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2000: Destiny's Child at the 2000 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards. (SGranitz/WireImage via Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2001: Destiny's Child attends the 2001 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Resort and Casino on October 26, 2001, in Las Vegas. (Jason Kirk/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2002: Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child pose backstage during the 44th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center February 27, 2002, in Los Angeles. (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2003: Singer Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards at Ocean Terminal on November 6, 2003, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2004: Singer/actress Beyonce Knowles poses backstage after winning five Grammy Awards in the press room at the 46th annual Grammy Awards held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2005: Singer Beyonce Knowles arrives at the 77th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 27, 2005, in Hollywood, California. (Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2006: Rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce Knowles perform onstage at the 2006 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2006, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2007: Singer Beyonce Knowles arrives at the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton on January 15, 2007, in Beverly Hills, California. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2008: Singer Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during the 2008 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on November 23, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Vince Bucci/Getty Images for AMA)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2009: Singer Beyonce Knowles arrives at the 81st annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on February 22, 2009, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2010: Singers Beyonce Knowles (left) and Rihanna backstage during the 52nd annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010, in Los Angeles. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2011: Singer Beyonce arrives at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on August 28, 2011, in Los Angeles. (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2012: Beyonce Knowles attends the "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2012, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2013: Singer Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2014: Jay-Z and Beyonce attend the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2015: Beyonce and Jay Z attend the "China: Through the Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2016: Beyonce, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Bruno Mars perform onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on February 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, California. (Matt Cowan/Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2017: Singer Beyonce during the 59th Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 12, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2018: Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018, in Indio, California. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2019: Beyonce Knowles-Carter attends the European Premiere of Disney's "The Lion King" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 14, 2019, in London. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2020: Jay-Z and Beyoncé attend the Pre-Grammy Gala and Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean "Diddy" Combs on January 25, 2020, in Beverly Hills, California. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2021: Beyoncé accepts the Best Rap Performance award for "Savage" onstage during the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Photos: Beyonce through the years 2022: In this handout photo provided by AMPAS, Beyoncé performs during the ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Mason Poole/AMPAS via Getty Images)
Photos: Beyonce through the years FILE PHOTO: Beyoncé accepts Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for “Renaissance” onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording A)
Photos: Beyonce through the years Beyoncé released her eighth studio album, "Act II: Cowboy Carter," in March 2024. (Parkwood Entertainment LLC)
Photos: Beyonce through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Beyoncé is seen onstage at the 67th annual GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy ) (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording A)