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
Recent Examples on the WebJuan Gay—playful raconteur, child lost and found and lost, guardian of the institutionalized—has a project to pass along to this new narrator.—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 17 June 2024 On her first two records, the Quebecois folk singer wrapped her low, steely purr around diverse material—from the sardonic light verse of raconteur Dorothy Parker to her own lyrics about the birth of her daughter.—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 16 May 2024 Tremaine Emory’s Scars: Streetwear’s Black history raconteur survived Kanye, Supreme and a near-death experience.—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 4 May 2024 One Dahl story won’t do; his ingenuity runs to the elaboration of four convoluted tales, all featuring long-winded raconteurs atop the on-screen narrator Dahl (played by Ralph Fiennes).—Armond White, National Review, 15 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for raconteur
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raconteur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
French, from Middle French, from raconter to tell, from Old French, from re- + aconter, acompter to tell, count — more at account
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