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Glite Dictionary
Racine

Racine

1 9.9
A French playwright from the 1600s known for tragic plays based on Greek and Roman stories
  • proper noun
: Racine
  • How are you feeling today, Mr. Racine?

Cornae Racine in the classic era in France.

Examples

  • And frankly, Mr. Racine, I think we may have a problem.

    Body Heat (1981)

  • Mr. Racine, what are you doing out of bed?

    The Hunted (1995)

  • Perhaps Mr. Racine would like to tell you.

    Body Heat (1981)

  • I grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, so I really miss seeing the lake on the horizon!

    Blog text (22)

  • As one of Racine's heroes said of himself, their "only hope lies in their despair."

    Academic text (1996)

  • This is Mr. Racine.

    Like Father Like Son (1987)

  • I have read the plays of Corneille, Racine, Molière, and Voltaire.

    Scaramouche (1952)

  • Picard, himself a recognized scholar of Racine, focused his 1965 assault on Roland Barthes's then-new book, On Racine.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The subjects of the articles in French include Racine, Jean Paulhan, Roland Barthes, and Alain Robbe-Grillet.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Many scholars consider Racine a master of classical French theater for his works based on Greek mythology.

Synonyms

Jean Racine
vsRacine
  • Literature
1 9.5

A French writer of plays in the 1600s who wrote tragic stories about strong feelings

uses the full formal name including given names
Jean Baptiste Racine
vsRacine
9.5

A French writer of tragic plays and poems from the 1600s

uses the short family name as a common reference

Surface Forms

Racine main

Etymology

Racine is the French word racine, which means 'root'. A helpful way to remember the playwright is to think his tragedies dig into the 'root' of human feeling, so 'root' links the name to his deep, serious plays.