Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A female singer; often specifically a popular or cabaret singer

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.]

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Examples

  • Talented, spunky and a natural presence onstage, Adele may hardly look like your average, major-label chanteuse, but sometimes the people get it right.

    unknown title 2009

  • The "electro-savvy" "chanteuse" singer Imogen Heap will be debuting her crowd-sourced documentary "Love the Earth" on a live webcast from London's Royal Albert Hall.

    Imogen Heap live webcast of crowd-sourced documentary (Now) Melissa Bell 2010

  • He is killed; she is implicated and the mother-in-law forces her to flee the country where she becomes Madame X, estranged from her husband and lovable son, wandering the world to sink into booze and despair and the ultimate indignity of nightclub chanteuse.

    Michael Giltz: NYMF #4: Jazz, Kiddies, Camp, Tap, Tut and Vamps Michael Giltz 2011

  • More polished, mature pop from the Scandinavian chanteuse.

    Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog: 2009

  • He is killed; she is implicated and the mother-in-law forces her to flee the country where she becomes Madame X, estranged from her husband and lovable son, wandering the world to sink into booze and despair and the ultimate indignity of nightclub chanteuse.

    Michael Giltz: NYMF #4: Jazz, Kiddies, Camp, Tap, Tut and Vamps Michael Giltz 2011

  • The stereotypes are familiar ones – the flapper, the Teutonic vamp, the tragic chanteuse, the wide-eyed ingenue – but there's a touching sweetness about them, and it's impossible not to be moved as the music segues from Puccini into Jay-Z's haunting "Forever Young".

    Gardenia – review 2011

  • More polished, mature pop from the Scandinavian chanteuse.

    Music 2009

  • NEW YORK— Quinn Lemley , an actress and chanteuse, has specialized in portraying Rita Hayworth in a one-woman show—channeling the 1940s glamour queen's songs and mannerisms, sashaying across the stage in elegant evening gowns reminiscent of old Hollywood.

    These Troupers Take Dramatic Turns at the Hospital Lucette Lagnado 2011

  • The superstar chanteuse, in a business-like black jacket and skirt, clinked glasses during a toast with Hu.

    Barbra Streisand among guests at State Department lunch for Hu Jintao The Reliable Source 2011

  • Her music spans the gap between the café and the Opera, from chanteuse to songstress, or as she put it, "It's 19th Century meets 21rst."

    Tom Teicholz: Elizaveta, a Dreamy New Singer Tom Teicholz 2011

Comments

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  • memorably pronounced 'shan-toos' by Shirley Bellinger from OZ.

    May 5, 2009