Word of the Day

: March 11, 2008

repertoire

noun REP-er-twar

What It Means

1 : a list of plays, operas, pieces, or parts which a company or performer is prepared to present

2 : a supply of skills or devices possessed by a person

repertoire in Context

"She is a pastry chef whose repertoire ranges from chocolate-filled croissants to old-fashioned scones and chocolate chip cookies."(Linda Giuca, Hartford Courant [Connecticut], January 31, 2008)

Did You Know?

The Late Latin noun "repertorium," meaning "list," has given us two words that can be used to speak of the broad range of things that someone or something can do. One is "repertory," perhaps most commonly known as a word for a company that presents several different plays, operas, or other works at one theater, or the theater where such works are performed. "Repertoire," which comes from "repertorium" via French, once meant the same thing as "repertory" but later came to refer to the range of skills that a person has under his or her belt, such as the different pitches a baseball pitcher can throw or the particular dishes that are a chef's specialty.