Etymologically
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œuvre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /œvʁ/[1]

Forms

œuvre f (plural œuvres)[1] Old French ovre (about 1120), uevre (1145), euvre (1160–74), oevre (13th century); œuvre from 1250.[2][3][4] The spelling oeuvre is nonstandard.[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French uevre, inherited from Latin opera (“work, activity, effort”), the plural of opus (“work, product of work”) used as a feminine singular since Plautus.[5][2][6][4][7][1] Rey relates the Latin noun to Sanskrit अपस् (ápas, “work”) and to ops (“abundance, resources”), from a root used of productive activity.[2][8] The masculine use appeared at the end of the 15th century under the influence of the Latin neuter, and grammarians fixed the present distinctions in the 17th century.[2][6] It is a doublet of opéra and opus.[1]

Cognate with Italian opera, Occitan obra, Spanish obra, Portuguese obra and Romanian operă.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Canticle of Habakkuk in the Psautier d'Oxford (first half of the 12th century) has ovre for an object created by someone's work.[5] The Roncevaux has L'ovre est fete et fenie “the work is done and finished”.[9]

Semantic evolution

Wace uses it for the act of doing (about 1145) and for a literary work (1160–74); Old French also had euvre for sexual union (1174–77).[5] Mettre a uevre “to put into practice” dates from the early 13th century, mettre en œuvre from 1409, mettre la main à l'œuvre from 1559 (Amyot) and bois d'œuvre “timber” from 1611.[5][3] In the Church, good works are bonnes œuvres, after Latin bona opera, and an œuvre is a charitable institution.[2][8]

Œuvres complètes is in Voltaire (1776) and œuvre d'art in Balzac (1831).[5] The masculine is used for the whole of an artist's work, for building (gros œuvre, à pied d'œuvre, 1798) and in alchemy for the grand œuvre, the philosopher's stone (1626, d'Aubigné).[5][1]

Timeline

  • First half of the 12th century – Ovre, Psautier d'Oxford.[5]
  • c. 1145 – “Action”, Wace.[5]
  • 1160–1174 – A literary work, Wace.[5]
  • 1409 – Mettre en œuvre.[5]
  • Late 15th century – First masculine uses.[2]
  • 1626 – Le grand œuvre, d'Aubigné.[5]
  • 1831 – Œuvre d'art, Balzac.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A work, something made or done: une œuvre d'art, les œuvres de Victor Hugo, œuvres complètes.[8][1]
  2. Work, activity: être à l'œuvre, se mettre à l'œuvre, mettre en œuvre, to implement.[8][5]
  3. A charitable organization, bonnes œuvres, good works.[8][2]
  4. (masculine) The complete works of an artist: l'œuvre gravé de Rembrandt.[1][8]
  5. (masculine, building) Le gros œuvre: the main structure, à pied d'œuvre, on site, ready to start.[5][8]
  6. (masculine, alchemy) Le grand œuvre: the philosopher's stone.[5]
  7. Maître d'œuvre: project manager, main-d'œuvre, labour, workforce.[8][1]

Word family

  • œuvrer
  • chef-d'œuvre
  • hors-d'œuvre
  • désœuvré
  • désœuvrement
  • main-d'œuvre
  • manœuvre
  • opérer
  • ouvrer
  • ouvrier
  • ouvrage
  • opéra
  • opus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 358b
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette