Word of the Day

: October 5, 2006

farceur

noun far-SUR

What It Means

1 : joker, wag

2 : a writer or actor of farce

farceur in Context

The movie features a famous farceur trying his hand at a serious role for the first time.

Did You Know?

You've probably already spotted the "farce" in "farceur." But although "farceur" can now refer to someone who performs or composes farce, it began life in the late 18th century as a word for someone who is simply known for cracking jokes. Appropriately, "farceur" derives via Modern French from the Middle French "farcer," meaning "to joke." If you think of "farce" as a composition of ridiculous humor with a "stuffed" or contrived plot, then it should not surprise you that "farce" originally meant "forcemeat"-seasoned meat used for a stuffing-and that both "farce" and "farceur" can be ultimately traced back to the Latin verb "farcire," meaning "to stuff."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.