memoir

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: mem=oir

CIDE DICTIONARY

memoir, n. [F. mémoire, m., memorandum, fr. mémoire, f., memory, L. memoria. See Memory.].

•  A memorial account; a history composed from personal experience and memory; an account of transactions or events (usually written in familiar style) as they are remembered by the writer. See History, 2.  [1913 Webster]
•  A memorial of any individual; a biography; often, a biography written without special regard to method and completeness.  [1913 Webster]
•  An account of something deemed noteworthy; an essay; a record of investigations of any subject; the journals and proceedings of a society.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

memoir, n.
1 a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources.
2 (in pl.) an autobiography or a written account of one's memory of certain events or people.
3 a an essay on a learned subject specially studied by the writer. b (in pl.) the proceedings or transactions of a learned society (Memoirs of the American Mathematical Society).

Derivative

memoirist n.

Etymology

F m{eacute}moire (masc.), special use of m{eacute}moire (fem.) MEMORY

THESAURUS

memoir

Clio, Muse of history, account, accounts, adventures, adversaria, aide-memoire, anecdote, annals, annotation, article, autobiography, biographical sketch, biography, case history, causerie, chronicle, chronicles, chronology, commitment to memory, confessions, curriculum vitae, descant, diary, discourse, discussion, disquisition, dissertation, docket, entry, essay, etude, examination, excursus, exercise of memory, experiences, exposition, feature, first approach, flashback, footnote, fortunes, hagiography, hagiology, hindsight, historiography, history, homily, introductory study, item, jotting, journal, learning by heart, legend, letters, life, life and letters, life story, looking back, lucubration, marginal note, marginalia, martyrology, memo, memoirs, memorabilia, memorandum, memorial, memorials, memories, memorization, memorizing, memory, minutes, monograph, morceau, narrative, necrology, notation, note, obituary, outline, pandect, paper, paragraph, photobiography, piece, preliminary study, profile, prolegomenon, recall, recalling, recollecting, recollection, reconsideration, record, records, reflection, register, registry, remembering, remembrance, reminder, reminiscence, report, reportage, research paper, resume, retrospect, retrospection, review, rote, rote memory, scholia, scholium, screed, sketch, special article, story, study, survey, term paper, theme, theory of history, thesis, tract, tractate, treatise, treatment

ROGET THESAURUS

memoir

Description

N description, account, statement, report, expose, specification, particulars, state of facts, summary of facts, brief, return, catalogue raisonne, guidebook, delineation, sketch, monograph, minute account, detailed particular account, circumstantial account, graphic account, narration, recital, rehearsal, relation, historiography, chronography, historic Muse, Clio, history, biography, autobiography, necrology, obituary, narrative, history, memoir, memorials, annals, saga, tradition, legend, story, tale, historiette, personal narrative, journal, life, adventures, fortunes, experiences, confessions, anecdote, ana, trait, work of fiction, novel, romance, Minerva press, fairy tale, nursery tale, fable, parable, apologue, dime novel, penny dreadful, shilling shocker relator, raconteur, historian, biographer, fabulist, novelist, descriptive, graphic, narrative, epic, suggestive, well-drawn, historic, traditional, traditionary, legendary, anecdotic, storied, described, furor scribendi.

Dissertation

N dissertation, treatise, essay, thesis, theme, monograph, tract, tractate, tractation, discourse, memoir, disquisition, lecture, sermon, homily, pandect, excursus, commentary, review, critique, criticism, article, leader, leading article, editorial, running commentary, investigation, study, discussion, exposition, commentator, critic, essayist, pamphleteer, discursive, discoursive, disquisitionary, expository.