French word

écrivain

Pronunciation

IPA/ekʁivɛ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounwriter

Example

Mon frère est écrivain.

My brother is a writer.

Illustration for écrivain (writer)

More examples

Il rêve de devenir écrivain.

He dreams of becoming a writer.

Core concept

A creator whose main activity is shaping texts and bringing finished works to readers.

Common phrases

  • devenir écrivain

    become a writer

  • un écrivain célèbre

    a famous writer

  • écrire comme un écrivain

    write like a writer

Similar words

auteur: The person who creates the written work for a book, play, or film.
romancier: A person who writes novels.
journaliste: A person who writes factual reports for newspapers, magazines, or websites.
scénariste: A person who writes scripts for movies or television shows.

Definition in French

Personne dont l'activité principale est d'écrire et de publier des œuvres écrites.

Word origin

Old French formed escrivain from escrire with the suffix -ain, and escrire ultimately comes from Latin scribere, 'to write'.

Usage tips

  • In écrivain, final -ain is a nasal vowel, so the n is not pronounced as a separate consonant.

Other meanings

  • authornoun

Related words

  • écriturewritingnoun
  • réécriturerewritingnoun
  • écrivainefemale writernoun

Word lists with this word