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

Comments

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Okay, interesting that it's so late, given they were very much a known thing in English aristocratic society in the late 1700s.

---L.

[med_cat]

I see...I suppose the term didn't get officially accepted into English till later, perhaps?

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Apparently?