1 farceur | Definition of farceur

farceur

noun
far·​ceur | \ fär-ˈsÉ™r How to pronounce farceur (audio) \

Definition of farceur

1 : joker, wag
2 : a writer or actor of farce

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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."

Examples of farceur in a Sentence

a knockabout comedy that was performed by a trio of accomplished farceurs

Recent Examples on the Web

On the other hand, farceurs and satirists have always focused on power — without regard to deserving — and thus these genres have always functioned as safety valves and indicators of a free society. Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Is this the end of comedy? Why it’s never been harder to tell a joke," 19 June 2019 Both stars are enthusiastic farceurs, which almost but not quite gets you past the essential stupidity/criminality of the setup. Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Overboard’ still doesn’t make splash," 3 May 2018 Vulgar, old-fashioned, and paralytically funny, performed by a big cast of expert farceurs. Philly.com, "Theater: New and Noteworthy," 17 Sep. 2017 The work has been seen before (the cast was different but the reviews were mixed), and its author reportedly is revising extensively for Broadway with the help of his highly experienced farceur-director, Jerry Zaks. Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Fall Broadway Top 10: Look for big stars, from Springsteen to Schumer," 7 Sep. 2017 Big, vulgar, a little old-fashioned, and paralytically funny, with expert farceurs galore. Philly.com, "Theater: New and Noteworthy," 22 Oct. 2017 Reviewing an early Georges Feydeau comedy, a droll critic predicted that this master farceur would go mad and end his days in an asylum. Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "American Players Theatre turns to farce with 'A Flea in Her Ear'," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'farceur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of farceur

1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for farceur

French, from Middle French, from farcer to joke, from Old French, from farce

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More from Merriam-Webster on farceur

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with farceur

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for farceur