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

And even if An English Vision, out now, fits nicely into Rizzoli’s glossy oeuvre of interiors books, it was never meant to be your average design tome. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2024

In order to identify The Piano Lesson cast’s ties to the original Wilson stage play and his extended oeuvre, a flow chart is probably in order. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024

Very little is known about the portrait, however, and it is not widely recognized by scholars as part of Rembrandt’s oeuvre. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024

Longtime followers of Aksu’s oeuvre will know that his mother’s influence—both her style and personality—is always present in his work, in varying degrees. —Nina-Sophia Miralles, Forbes, 18 Sep. 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