masterpiece
American Heritage Dictionary:
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mas·ter·piece
(măs'tər-pēs') 
n.
n.
- An outstanding work of art or craft.
- The greatest work, as of an artist. Also called masterwork.
- Something superlative of its kind: a masterpiece of political ingenuity.
[Probably translation of Dutch meesterstuk or German Meisterstück : Dutch meester and German Meister, master + Dutch stuk and German Stück, piece of work.]
Roget's Thesaurus:
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masterpiece
Word Tutor:
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masterpiece
IN BRIEF: A superior production. Also: The best thing that a person has ever made or done.
The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.
— Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
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Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'masterpiece'
- Books and Pages - masterpiece: supreme intellectual or artistic achievement
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary:
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masterpiece
See crossword solutions for the clue Masterpiece.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Masterpiece
For other uses, see Masterpiece (disambiguation).
Masterpiece (or chef d'œuvre) in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship.
Originally, the term masterpiece referred to a piece of work produced by an apprentice or journeyman aspiring to become a master craftsman in the old European guild system. His fitness to qualify for guild membership was judged partially by the Masterpiece, and if he was successful, it was retained by the guild. Great care was therefore taken to produce a fine piece in whatever the craft was, whether confectionery, painting, goldsmithing, knifemaking, or many other trades. The Royal Academy in London is one institution that has acquired a fine collection of "Diploma works" as a condition of acceptance.
Originally the paper which a student needs to present in order to gain the degree of Master of Arts was also such a "Masterpiece" - i.e. a fine piece of scholarship, the particular craft in which the student sought to be admitted as a master craftsman.
The term probably derives from the Dutch "meesterstuk" (German: Meisterstück), and the form "masterstik" is recorded in English in 1579 (or in Scots, since this was from some Aberdeen guild regulations), whereas "masterpiece" is first found in 1605, already outside a guild context, in a Ben Jonson play.[1]
In modern times it is used for an exceptionally good piece of creative work[2] or the best piece of work of a particular artist or craftsman.[3]
See also
- Magnum opus
- Painting the Century 101 Portrait Masterpieces 1900-2000
- The Virtual Collection of Masterpieces
References
- ^ OED:"Masterpiece". See also: Encarta. Archived 2009-11-01.
- ^ 'One damn masterpiece after another' Adrian Searle, The Guardian, Wednesday January 23 2008
- ^ "Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/5kx5TnWWs.
External links
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Translations:
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Masterpiece
Dansk (Danish)
n. - kunstværk, mesterstykke, hovedværk
Nederlands (Dutch)
meesterwerk
Français (French)
n. - chef d'¯uvre
Deutsch (German)
n. - Meisterwerk, Meisterstück
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αριστούργημα, αριστοτέχνημα
Português (Portuguese)
n. - obra-prima (f)
Español (Spanish)
n. - obra maestra
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - mästerverk
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
杰作, 名著
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 傑作, 名著
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 傑作, 名作, 代表作
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) تحفه فنيه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - יצירת פאר, עבודה אמנותית
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Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
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Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Masterpiece.
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