pièce de résistance en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Borrowed from French pièce de résistance; the first use of this phrase in English appears in 1789 in Richard Cumberland's novel Arundel.
Meanings
-
A masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime.
The pièce de résistance was the workbench, easily a hundred years old.
2026 April 24, Robert Klose, “Fix my watch, tell me a story”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC:
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The chief dish at a dinner.
Our pièce de résistance was a traditional preparation of poularde de Bresse en vessie: an entire chicken, stuffed with truffles and foie, steamed inside an inflated pig’s bladder in a bath of liquor and still more truffles.
2023, C Pam Zhang, Land of Milk and Honey, Hutchinson Heinemann, page 30:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| piece de resistance | alternative, common | lexicographic | |
| pièces de résistance | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (12)
pl gwóźdź programu (masterpiece) · nl magnum opus (masterpiece) · de Pièce de résistance (masterpiece) · nl levenswerk (masterpiece) · nl pièce de résistance (masterpiece) · la magnum opus (masterpiece) · mi mounga (masterpiece) · es obra maestra (masterpiece) · pt obra prima (masterpiece) · fr pièce de résistance (masterpiece) · nl meesterwerk (masterpiece) · it capolavoro (masterpiece)