ENGLISH
REFERENCE

memoir

n.
US //ˈmɛmˌwɑɹ// UK //mˈɛmwɑː// mem·oir
  1. 1 biography from personal knowledge (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Literary

    a book about someone else's life written by a person who knew them very well.

    a biographical account of a subject based on the author's personal knowledge or intimate association with them.

    Example

    He wrote a moving memoir of his late father, who was a famous poet.

    Example

    The diplomat's memoir of the former prime minister provides an intimate, if somewhat biased, look at the private motivations behind the treaty.

    Usage

    Usually followed by the preposition 'of' and the name of the subject.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is less common today; modern readers usually expect a memoir to be about the author's own life.
Origin

From French mémoire (“memoir”), from Latin memoria (“memory”). Doublet of memoria and memory.

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