oeuvre

American  

[œ-vr^uh] / ˈœ vrə /

noun

French.

PLURAL

oeuvres

1. the works of a writer, painter, or the like, taken as a whole.

2. any one of the works of a writer, painter, or the like.

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oeuvre British  

/ œvrə /

noun

1. a work of art, literature, music, etc

2. the total output of a writer, painter, etc

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Usage

What does oeuvre mean? An artist’s oeuvre is their total body of work.Oeuvre can also refer to a single work of art, but it most commonly refers to the collective work of an artist over a lifetime.Oeuvre is a formal word most commonly used in the discussion of artists like painters, composers, and literary figures. Because it’s a French loanword and it’s a kind of hard to pronounce, oeuvre is sometimes considered a bit pretentious.Example: Common throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s oeuvre is the theme of indulgence, most evident in his standout novel The Great Gatsby.

Etymology

Origin of oeuvre

ultimately from Latin opera, plural of opus work

Example Sentences

So it’s necessary—and not unfair—to ask whether Mr. Tremlett’s book adds anything new to the Franco oeuvre.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Dowling is a discerning and sympathetic, if occasionally starchy, guide through Shepard’s oeuvre.

From The Wall Street Journal

But there’s more to Sheridan’s oeuvre than cowboys showing off on their horses for the full length of a song.

From The Wall Street Journal

She has a preternatural belief in her own instincts and a boundless curiosity that, taken together, help explain the extraordinarily rich life and oeuvre she’s constructed.

From Los Angeles Times

“Riot Women” is, in many ways, a distillation of her oeuvre.

From Los Angeles Times