Word of the Day

: September 11, 2009

causerie

noun kohz-REE

What It Means

1 : an informal conversation : chat

2 : a short informal essay

causerie in Context

After the table was cleared and coffee was served, the dinner guests rose and continued their causerie in the other room.

Did You Know?

"Causerie" first appeared in English in the early 19th century, and it can be traced back to French "causer" ("to chat") and ultimately to Latin "causa" ("cause, reason"). The word was originally used to refer to a friendly or informal conversation. Then, in 1849, the author and critic Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve began publishing a weekly column devoted to literary topics in the French newspaper Le Constitutionnel. These critical essays were called "Causeries du lundi" ("Monday chats") and were later collected into a series of books of the same name. After that, the word "causerie" acquired a second sense in English, referring to a brief, informal article or essay.