memoir

[mem-wahr, -wawr]

noun

1. a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation.

2. Usually memoirs.

   1. an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography.

   2. the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.

3. a biography or biographical sketch.

memoir

/ ˈmɛmwɑː /

noun

1. a biography or historical account, esp one based on personal knowledge

2. an essay or monograph, as on a specialized topic

3. obsolete,  a memorandum

Other Word Forms

• memoirist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of memoir¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from French mémoire, from Latin memoria; memory

Word History and Origins

Origin of memoir¹

C16: from French, from Latin memoria _memory

Example Sentences

Modest and compact at 150 small-format pages, “Future Boy” is Mr. Fox’s fifth memoir and his third to contain the word “future.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Earlier this year, Ms. Case published an acclaimed memoir, and several songs here seem connected to that project’s introspection.

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Marty Baron, the retired Washington Post editor, details in his memoir his regrets over the Steele dossier.

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Our 10 recommended books for October include the first new novel from Thomas Pynchon in more than a decade, a pandemic tale from Susan Straight and a memoir from Susan Orlean.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His memoir, Last Rites, will be posthumously published next week.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• account 
• anecdote 
• autobiography 
• biography 
• chronicle 
• diary 
• essay 
• journal 
• life 
• life story www.thesaurus.com
• memory 
• narrative 
• note 
• recollection 
• reminiscence 
• thesis 
• treatise