Friday word: Roman a clef

[med_cat]

roman à clef ,n. ro·man à clef \rō-ˌmä(ⁿ)n-(ˌ)ä-ˈklā\
(plural romans à clef \-ˌmäⁿ-(ˌ)zä-\)

: a novel in which real persons or actual events figure under disguise

Etymology:

French, literally, novel with a key


First Known Use: 1893