Compère
[KAHM-per]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, early 20th century
1.
A person who introduces the performers or contestants in a variety show; host.
Examples of Compère in a sentence
"Sam’s bubbly personality made him a great compère."
"The compère introduced all of the contestants with a nickname."
About Compère
This comes from the French word for “godfather,” originally from the medieval Latin “compater.” “Com-” means “together with,” and the Latin “pater” means “father.”
Did you Know?
Loyset Compère was a Franco-Flemish composer during the Renaissance. He likely had nothing to do with the etymology of “compère,” but it’s a happy coincidence that he contributed to musical performance. He was one of the most significant composers of the lyric-driven musical compositions popular during that time, as well as one of the first musicians to bring the Italianate Renaissance style to France.
