ENGLISH
REFERENCE

oeuvre

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈɝv// UK //ˈɜːvɹɐ// oeu·vre

n. the total collection of works created by one person, especially an artist or writer. It is a fancy way to talk about all the things someone has made in their career.

n. the total body of creative work produced by an artist, writer, or composer. Often used to describe the collective output of a specific period or style.


SIMPLE

The museum is hosting a show of his entire oeuvre.

CONTEXTUAL

Critics often compare the director's early films to his later work to see how his entire oeuvre evolved.

COMPLEX

While the artist's individual paintings are striking, it is only by examining his entire oeuvre that one can fully grasp the radical shifts in his color palette and thematic focus.

Synonyms
Origin

From French œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera (plural of Latin opus), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“work”). Doublet of opera, opus, and ure.

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