: a usually short tale of adventure

Examples of conte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The French word conte is tricksy, even contradictory, but what I had always been taught is that contes are more anecdotal than conventional short stories, coming out of the tradition of oral tales and often devoted to a single theme. Lauren Groff, The New York Review of Books, 23 Apr. 2020 Today, though, her powerful fiction is too little read, apart from a handful of eerie tales and contes cruels. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 5 June 2019

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conte was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near conte

Cite this Entry

“Conte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conte. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Biographical Definition

Conte

biographical name

Con·​te ˈkōn-tā How to pronounce Conte (audio)
Giuseppe 1964–     prime minister of Italy (2018–21)

More from Merriam-Webster on conte

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!