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œuvre. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
œuvre, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
œuvre in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
œuvre you have here. The definition of the word
œuvre will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
œuvre, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Noun
œuvre (plural œuvres)
- Alternative spelling of oeuvre
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French uevre, inherited from Latin opera. Doublet of opéra and opus.
Pronunciation
Noun
œuvre f (plural œuvres)
- work, book, piece
- Synonym: ouvrage
1874, Honoré de Balzac, Les Deux Poètes:Lucien avait essayé de déifier sa maîtresse dans une ode qui lui était adressée sous un titre inventé par tous les jeunes gens au sortir du collège. Cette ode, si complaisamment caressée, embellie de tout l’amour qu’il se sentait au cœur, lui parut la seule œuvre capable de lutter avec la poésie de Chénier.- Lucien had essayed to deify his beloved in an ode, dedicated to her under a title in favor with all lads who write verse after leaving school. This ode, so fondly cherished, so beautiful—since it was the outpouring of all the love in his heart, seemed to him to be the one piece of his own work that could hold its own with Chenier's verse.
- activity, operation
1871, Jules Verne, Aventures de trois Russes et de trois Anglais:Ce n’étaient plus des compagnons, des collègues, des savants unis pour l’accomplissement d’une œuvre scientifique, c’étaient des ennemis qui déjà se mesuraient du regard, tant ces duels de nation à nation ont d’influence sur le cœur des hommes !- They were no longer companions united in a common labour, but already eyed one another as avowed antagonists. Such is the influence of these national duels on the heart of man.
- complete body of an artist's work, or their works in a particular category
- L’œuvre sculptée de Picasso. ― Picasso's sculptural œuvre.
Usage notes
The word œuvre is normally feminine, but is masculine in the terms gros œuvre (“construction of the structural components of a building”), second œuvre (“work to finish a building after the structure is finished”), and grand œuvre (“in alchemy, the search for the philosopher's stone”). It is also sometimes used in the masculine in the sense "an artist's entire body of work."
Synonyms
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Derived terms
Noun
œuvre m (uncountable)
- complete body of an artist's work, or their works in a particular category
Derived terms
Further reading
Middle French
Noun
œuvre m or f (plural œuvres)
- Alternative form of oeuvre