Chau·cer  (chô'sər)  English poet regarded as the greatest literary figure of medieval England. His works include The Book of the Duchess (1369), Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1385), and his masterwork, The Canterbury Tales (1387-1400). Chau·cer'i·an (chô-sîr'ē-ən) adj. & n. |
A fourteenth-century English poet, called the father of English poetry: he was the first great poet to write in the English language. Chaucer's best-known work is The Canterbury Tales.