crooner
Meaning
a singer, typically a male one, who sings sentimental songs in a soft, low voice.
Structure
Usage
frank sinatra is considered one of the most iconic crooners of the big band era.
the radio station played a marathon of classic songs from famous crooners like bing crosby and dean martin.
his smooth, intimate vocal style earned him a reputation as a modern-day crooner.
Etymology
the word 'crooner' is a modern agent noun formed from the verb 'croon'. the verb itself entered english from middle dutch or middle low german krônen, meaning to lament or groan, which is itself of imitative origin, likely mimicking a low, mournful sound. this evolved in scots and northern english dialects to mean a low murmuring or humming, eventually describing a soft, sentimental style of singing popularized by microphones in the early 20th century. the suffix '-er', a prolific agent-forming suffix from old english, is attached to indicate a person who performs this specific vocal act, thus a 'crooner' is literally 'one who croons'.
Analysis
croon (from middle english crounen, of germanic origin, meaning to bellow or lament; a verb denoting a specific style of singing) + er (from old english -ere, an agent suffix indicating a person who performs an action).