Words matter

raconteur: ra-kahn-TER

 noun

: a person who excels in telling anecdotes

English speakers borrowed the word from French, where it traces back to the Old French verb "raconter," meaning "to tell." "Raconter" in turn was formed from another Old French verb, "aconter"or "acompter,"meaning "to tell" or "to count," which is ultimately from Latin "computare," meaning "to count."  "Raconteur" has been part of the English vocabulary since at least 1828.