A.Word.A.Day --chef-d'oeuvre (2024)

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French terms

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rapporteur
amour-propre
esprit de corps
chef-d'oeuvre
savoir-faire

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

chef-d'oeuvre

PRONUNCIATION:

(shay-DOO-vruh)A.Word.A.Day --chef-d'oeuvre (10)

MEANING:

noun: A masterpiece.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French chef-d'oeuvre (masterpiece), from chef (chief) + oeuvre (work).

USAGE:

"Not every item is a chef d'oeuvre: The Surrealists loved to create collages from trivial snapshots."
Jorg von Uthmann; Kinky Dolls, Glass Tears Adorn Surrealist Photo Show; Bloomberg; Oct 29, 2009.

See more usage examples of chef-d'oeuvre in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

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A.Word.A.Day --chef-d'oeuvre (2024)

FAQs

A.Word.A.Day --chef-d'oeuvre? ›

MEANING: noun: A masterpiece. ETYMOLOGY: From French chef-d'oeuvre (masterpiece), from chef (chief) + oeuvre (work).

What is the literal meaning of chef d oeuvre? ›

French chef-d'oeuvre, literally, leading work.

Can we use chef d'oeuvre in English? ›

Meaning of chef-d'oeuvre in English

an artist or writer's greatest piece of work: The Decameron is widely regarded as Boccaccio's chef-d'oeuvre.

How do you use chef d oeuvre in a sentence? ›

How to use chef-d'oeuvre in a sentence. It is indeed a masterpiece—a chef-d'oeuvre—beauty and expression unequaled. The grisette from a certain point of view is the chef-d'oeuvre of Parisian industry; the bouquet of Parisian civilization. Bertie was executing his chef d'oeuvre in the delineation of Mrs.

Where does chef d oeuvre come from? ›

The earliest known use of the noun chef d'oeuvre is in the early 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for chef d'oeuvre is from 1619, in a letter by John Chamberlain, letter writer. chef d'oeuvre is a borrowing from French. Etymons: French chef d'œuvre.

Is chef d oeuvre French? ›

“chef-d'œuvre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language] , 2012.

What is the literal meaning of the French term hors d oeuvre? ›

Etymology. Hors d'œuvre in French literally means 'outside the work', that is "not part of the ordinary set of courses in a meal".

What is the hardest French dish to pronounce? ›

10 French Food Words We've Been Pronouncing All Wrong
  1. Bouillabaisse = BOOL-yuh-BAYZ. ...
  2. Coq au vin = kohk oh VAHN. ...
  3. Macaron = mack-uh-RON. ...
  4. Foie gras = FWAH-GRAH. ...
  5. Niçoise = nee-SWAHZ. ...
  6. Boeuf bourguignon = boof boor-gheen-YOHN. ...
  7. Crêpe = crehp. ...
  8. Croissant = CWA-sohn.

What does my oeuvre mean? ›

The oeuvre of a writer or artist refers to all their work combined. Writing one book isn't much of an oeuvre, but writing ten could be. This is a French word often used by critics — people who comment on the work of writers, painters, musicians, and other artists. An oeuvre is the total output of an artist.

Why is chef pronounced sh? ›

The word chef is borrowed from French then it normally has the French pronunciation and that is /shef/.

What is a synonym for the word oeuvre? ›

work of art. magnum opus. masterpiece. number. chef-d'oeuvre.

How do you use oeuvre in a sentence? ›

Examples of 'oeuvre' in a sentence
  1. Had he persisted he would have had a minority report and the much-admired oeuvre would have been greeted with derision. ...
  2. He created not just an immense oeuvre but a host of repertories, all at once, for the different musical departments.

Does oeuvre mean work? ›

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.

What does hors d oeuvre stand for? ›

: any of various tasty foods usually served as appetizers. Etymology. from French hors-d'œuvre "appetizers," from the phrase hors d'œuvre, literally, "outside of work"

What is the meaning of the French word Chef de Partie? ›

A chef de partie is a section chef, such as a saucier or patissier.

What is the meaning of chef de bord? ›

may use the term "chef de bord" instead of the term "conducteur" [...] currently used in the French. [...] text of CEVNI as long as it means a person exercising a nautical responsibility on board a vessel.

What is the meaning of chef de chef? ›

A chef de cuisine (French pronunciation: [ʃɛf. də. kɥi. zin], French for head of kitchen) or head chef is a chef that leads a kitchen and its cooks.

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