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Raconteur Has Old French Roots
If you’re a sage of sagas, a bard of ballads, or a pro in prose, you may have lost count of the accounts you’ve recounted. Some might call you a recounter, but as a master of narrative form you may find that recounter lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Sure, it has a cool story—it traces back to the Latin verb computere, meaning “to count”—but so do many words: compute and computer, count and account, and neither last nor least, raconteur, a singsong title better fit for a whimsical storyteller. English speakers borrowed raconteur from French in the early 19th century.
Examples of raconteur in a Sentence
Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
Within the theater world, Libin was a beloved and admired raconteur, a kind of living encyclopedia of show biz lore.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 June 2025
Doumani moved to the Napa Valley in the late 1960s, founded three wineries, sold two of them, and lived the life of a bon vivant and raconteur that amounts to a fading breed in the Valley.
—Patrick Comiskey, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025
Ever the raconteur, Copeland is taking the speaking tour to Europe this spring and fall.
—Craig Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for raconteur
Cite this Entry
“Raconteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raconteur. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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