Should I write “repartee” with an accent?

Question

Does repartee need an accent with it in writing? Also, what does it mean?

Edit: Can you please provide an example sentence or two? I'd really appreciate it!

possible duplicate of Diacriticals and non-English letters in anglicized loan words: keep 'em, dump 'em, italicize the words, or what?
@Robusto In this case, the original French word apparently doesn't have an accent either. I don't know French, so I can't be sure.
so why is sautee spelled with accent and repartee not? :( ahhh i''ll never remember all this for my vocab test
@katie: seriously, no offense and no harm meant, I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings or step on any toes, but. I would be more worried about memorizing the correct spelling of more common words, such as "you", "I", and "please".
@RegDwight :*( I said I would spell better in the other question, don't worry. I'm trying!

Jason Orendorff · Answer 1 · 2011-03-24 17:53:45Z

up vote 2 down vote

Repartee is “conversation marked by a series of witty retorts” (wiktionary).

The word is spelled with no accents. It is apparently from the French repartie (with no accent).

answered Mar 24 '11 at 17:53

Jason Orendorff
3,056713

	can u use it in a sentence plz? :) thx! – katie Mar 24 '11 at 18:11
	@katie Google dictionary offers several examples. – Jason Orendorff Mar 24 '11 at 18:53

Jimi Oke · Answer 2 · 2011-03-25 02:18:02Z

According to the Oxford Dictionaries, the definition of repartee is

conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies.

Repartee is always spelled without an accent. It is pronounced re-par-TEE (also, less commonly, re-par-TAY in the US).

Example:

That was the best outing we've had in years! Our hosts were fabulous, the dinner was fantastic, and the ensuing repartee was invigorating.

2 Answers