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littérateur

or lit·te·ra·teur

[lit-er-uh-tur; French lee-tey-ra-tœr]
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noun, plural lit·té·ra·teurs [lit-er-uh-turz; French lee-tey-ra-tœr] /ˌlɪt ər əˈtɜrz; French li teɪ raˈtœr/.
  1. a literary person, especially a writer of literary works.
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Origin of littérateur

From French, dating back to 1800–10; see origin at literator
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

doctorprofessorintellectualacademiccriticscientistphilosopherstudentteachergnomesagetoollearnereggheadbookwormsavantbrainpupilaugurgrind

Examples from the Web for litterateur

Historical Examples

  • The litterateur in Wagners estimation had no fixed purpose, no ideal.

    Wagner as I Knew Him

    Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger

  • A composer, pianist, and litterateur, who is still living in Poland.

  • His fame is greater as a dramatist and litterateur than as a poet.

    Idling in Italy

    Joseph Collins

  • The Hotel Helicon is a place to delight the artist and the litterateur.

    A Fortnight of Folly

    Maurice Thompson

  • But he had been too well educated for an American litterateur.

British Dictionary definitions for litterateur

littérateur

noun
  1. an author, esp a professional writer
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Word Origin

C19: from French from Latin litterātor a grammarian
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for litterateur

n.

"a literary man," 1806, from French littérateur, from Latin litterator "a grammarian, philologist," from littera "letter" (see letter (n.1)). Sometimes Englished as literator (1630s, often with a deprecatory sense). Fem. form is littératrice.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper