roman à clef
[ raw-mah na kle ]
/ rɔ mɑ na ˈklɛ /
noun, plural ro·mans à clef [raw-mahn za kle] /rɔ mɑ̃ za ˈklɛ/. French.
a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.
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Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTWords nearby roman à clef
roman punch, roman ride, roman shade, roman snail, roman strike, roman à clef, roman-fleuve, romance, romance languages, romanes, romanesque
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for roman a clef
roman à clef
/ French (rɔmɑ̃ a kle) /
noun plural romans à clef (rɔmɑ̃ a kle)
a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names
Word Origin for roman à clef
literally: novel with a key
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
Cultural definitions for roman a clef
roman à clef
[ (roh-mahn ah klay) ]
A novel in which actual people and places are disguised as fictional characters. Roman à clef is French for “novel with a key.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.