correspondante

Correspondante is the feminine form of the French noun correspondant and of the feminine adjective correspondant(e). It designates a person who corresponds with others, and can be used in several senses: a journalist or writer who reports from a location for a media outlet, or more generally a person with whom one maintains written communication (a pen pal, a professional contact). As an adjective, correspondante means “corresponding” or “matching,” agreeing in gender with the noun it modifies.

Noun usage. In journalism, a correspondante (often with a qualifier such as correspondante de presse or correspondante à l’étranger) refers to a female reporter stationed somewhere to cover events. In everyday language, a correspondante is someone one writes to or communicates with regularly. The term can appear in historical contexts as well, for example a correspondante de guerre or a correspondent who sends reports from abroad.

Adjective usage. As an adjective, correspondante describes things that correspond or match another thing, for example une valeur correspondante (the corresponding value) or une page correspondante (the corresponding page). It is used in fields such as mathematics, science, and everyday French to express a pairing or alignment between elements or concepts.

Etymology. The word derives from correspondre, itself from Latin correspondere (to be like, to agree, to respond). The feminine form reflects gender agreement with the noun it modifies.

See also. See correspondant, correspondance, and correspondence for related terms and broader usage.