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

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC

For an actor who remains famously guarded despite being a tabloid staple, “Jay Kelly” is perhaps the closest a viewer can get to Clooney’s thoughts on his own fame this side of a memoir.

From Salon

“I was madly in love with the Lord of the Jungle, terribly jealous of his Jane,” Goodall wrote in her 1999 memoir, “Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey.”

From Los Angeles Times

Gould’s view of the NLRB’s past, present and future is explored in his forthcoming memoir, titled “Those Who Travail and are Heavy Laden: Memoir of a Labor Lawyer.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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