chanteuse

noun

chan·​teuse shan-ˈtüz  shäⁿ-ˈtərz 

-ˈtəz

plural chanteuses shan-ˈtüz 

-ˈtü-zəz,

-ˈtərz,

-ˈtəz,

-ˈtər-zəz,

-ˈtə-zəz

: songstress

especially : a woman who is a concert or nightclub singer

Examples of chanteuse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But in the end, Chu chose a Broadway chanteuse and a pop star to anchor his musical extravaganza. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Jan. 2024

Special guest appearances included Brazilian chanteuse Lia de Itamaracá, who performed alongside Batiste marking her first-ever set outside of Brazil. —Griselda Flores, Billboard, 9 Mar. 2024

Sugar is the group’s chanteuse; Monroe is the film’s tremulous heart and soul. —The New York Times Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024

In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), ghouls and pumpkin heads are seen hard at work with hair dryers in an attempt to melt the ice encasing the chanteuse. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2023

Mariah Carey received the Recording Academy’s Global Impact Award at the 2024 Black Music Collective on Thursday night (Feb. 1), and the elusive chanteuse poked some fun at the Grammys during her speech. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 2 Feb. 2024

The not-so-elusive chanteuse of Salt Lake City, Lisa Barlow, is still ready to talk all things Tease. —Vulture, 26 Jan. 2024

Dripping with elegance and nostalgia, the Mexican American chanteuse forges a deeper connection with her heritage that not only pays homage to the past but also paves the way for future generations to cherish and appreciate the beauty of boleros. —Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 2 Feb. 2024

The relationship between Celie and Shug Avery, the alluring chanteuse played by Taraji P. Henson, in this version plays a mite truer to that of the novel. —Scott Hocker, theweek, 7 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from chanter "to sing" (going back to Old French) + -euse, feminine agent suffix, from feminine of -eux, adjective suffix, going back to Old French -eus, earlier -os, -ous, going back to Latin -ōsus -ose entry 1 — more at chant entry 1

Note: The feminine adjectival suffix -euse developed into an agent suffix in later Middle French, when, in line with the general loss of final consonants, the agent suffix -eur lost its consonant and became completely homonymous with the masculine adjectival suffix -eux; the two suffixes being identified, -euse came into use as a feminine complement to -eur. The restoration of final r in the suffix -eur has once again separated the suffixes.

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above