Littérateur
[lid-ər-ə-TER]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, early 19th century
1.
A person who is interested in and knowledgeable about literature.
Examples of Littérateur in a sentence
"She considered herself a littérateur and enjoyed giving book recommendations."
"As a littérateur, I like analyzing the written word."
About Littérateur
We've held onto the French spelling for this word describing a lover of literature, but it can be traced back further to Latin. In Latin, "littera" means "letter of the alphabet," and "litterātor" means "teacher of reading."
Did you Know?
A littérateur is someone knowledgeable about literature. If you want to find someone who loves books, you would look for a bibliophile. It is possible to find a collector of rare books, for example, who doesn't know the material well, but a littérateur and a bibliophile are likely more often one and the same.