conte

tale, short story

noun KOHNT Less Common

Origin: Latin computare (to reckon)

Usage Note

Conte specifically means a literary tale or short story, especially a fairy tale (un conte de fées). It is a homophone of compte (account) and comte (count/earl), distinguished only by context in speech. The most famous French contes are those of Perrault.

Examples

"Elle lit un conte à ses enfants chaque soir."

Natural Translation

She reads a tale to her children every evening.

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