French word

auteur

Pronunciation

IPA/otœʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounauthor

Example

L'auteur a signé le livre.

The author signed the book.

Illustration for auteur (author)

More examples

Cet auteur a publié plusieurs romans.

This author has published several novels.

Core concept

The named source behind a book, film, or other work, linked to its ideas and responsibility.

Common phrases

  • un auteur célèbre

    a famous author

  • l'auteur du livre

    the author of the book

Similar words

écrivain: A person who writes books or other texts professionally or as a hobby.

Definition in French

Personne qui est l'origine intellectuelle d'un texte ou d'une œuvre et qui est responsable de son contenu.

Word origin

A French descendant of Latin auctor, auteur belongs to the same word family as English author and retained the sense of an originator.

Usage tips

  • In a book cover or bibliographic reference, auteur has a formal attributional tone; qui a écrit is more conversational.

Other meanings

  • writernoun

Opposites

Related words

  • auteurefemale authornoun
  • co-auteurco-authornoun

Word lists with this word