oeuvre

noun

oeu·​vre ˈu̇-vrə 

ˈər-,

ˈə-,

ˈœ- 

plural oeuvres ˈu̇-vrə 

ˈə(r)-,

ˈœ- 

: a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer

a catalogue of Rembrandt's oeuvre

scrupulously examines Dickens' oeuvre in order to demonstrate how his convictions helped to determine the shape of his novels

—G. J. Worth

Synonyms

• corpus

Examples of oeuvre in a Sentence

a novel that occupies a relatively minor position in the author's oeuvre

Recent Examples on the Web

Given the tear-inducing nature of much of her oeuvre, one would be forgiven for thinking Deadwyler would be, well, intense. —Lola Ogunnaike, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024

Crichton, who has the largest oeuvre on this list, released his first novel, Odds On, in 1966. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 1 Aug. 2024

His own oeuvre seems to support that — but only at first glance. —Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 1 Aug. 2024

But tucked away in all this outrageousness is an unsung climax in the oeuvre of Waters, performed courtesy of Kathleen Turner in the gloriously unhinged Serial Mom (1994). —Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 31 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "work," going back to Old French ovre, going back to Latin opera "activity, effort, attention, work," collective derivative from oper-, opus "work, effort, product of labor" — more at opus

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above