Dictionary

disquaire en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /dɪsˈkɛɚ/ (General-American)
• /dɪsˈkɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Borrowed, with a change in meaning, from French disquaire (“record dealer; record shop”).

Meanings

1. (dated) A disc jockey, especially one in a French-speaking country.
   • Some discothèques allow their patrons to suggest tunes to the disquaire, but at many such an impertinence would be unthinkable—like asking Pablo Casals to play Melancholy Baby. 1963 July 5, “The Compleat Virtuosi”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Warner Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Dec 2008:
   • In fact, [Harry] Meyerson had Slim Hyatt, the "disquaire" (disk jockey) at Shepheards, assist him in programming the album. 1964 May 30, Mike Gross, “Deccareques Put Out for Discothequeniks”, in Billboard: The International Music-record Newsweekly, Cincinnati, Oh.: The Billboard Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 1, column 3:
   • He'd given the albums to the disquaire affiliated with Chez Castel, the popular Parisian discotheque. 2012, William J. Mann, “Spring 1964”, in Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand, New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, section 7, page 487:
   • In France, clubs found they didn't need live musicians to get people to dance – just a disquaire who "programmed" dance records and moods for the evening. Such a place had a name too, a discotheque. 2010, Robert Milliken, “Lillian Roxon: Selected Writings”, in Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story, 2nd edition, U.S.A.: ReadHowYouWant.com, →ISBN, pages 408–409:

Forms