I'm looking for a term, which I believe is French, that is used in
English as well and means "that which an individual is known for" or
that which makes someone famous."  Sorry I don't have more to go on!

I believe the term you're looking for is:  "cause célèbre"

In its most strict definition, it means a famous *case*, but it is
often taken to mean a situation or person, made famous by something,
or the "something" that makes them famous.  The fame also carries a
connotation of controversy, not simply being "widely-known", and it
often has a political undertone.

Oxford English Dictionary definition:
http://www.xrefer.com/entry/384917

A cause célèbre can be a person as in the following quotes:  

"Chanteuse, cabaret star, and cause célèbre, Josephine Baker
(1906-1975) was born in St. Louis and made famous in Paris, while
still in her teens"
http://www.view.com/ar75103.html

"It was the publication of The Confessions of Nat Turner in 1967 that
made [author William] Styron a cause célèbre in American letters."
http://www.rosettabooks.com/pages/author_20.html

A cause célèbre can be an issue that arouses controversy or debate:
American Heritage Dictionary:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/31/C0173100.html

It can also mean a controversy:  "A cause célèbre is any controversy
that attracts great public attention"
http://e-writers.net/archive/cause2.html

I hope this is helpful - if this is not the word you have in mind,
drop me a clarification, and I'll be happy to research other
possiblities.

Thanks!
asking-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by gidget-ga on 19 Jun 2002 12:23 PDT

That's close, but the word I'm looking for would more clearly fit in
this kind of sentence:

"Westminster Cathedral is considered the _________ of the architect
who designed it."  The term I'm looking for is usually an individual
achievement (such as a building, or a dish at a restaurant) rather
than a person or an issue.

Sorry I wasn't clearer before, and thanks for the info and links you
provided already!

gidget-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by gidget-ga on 19 Jun 2002 12:39 PDT

asking-ga--

the term was chef d'oeuvre, as one of the commentors answered.  Thanks
for your help!

---

Clarification of Answer by asking-ga on 19 Jun 2002 13:06 PDT

Thanks for the commentary help from thx1138-ga and especially
kenmkuhl-ga - you beat me to the punch in clarifying!  Gidget - I'm
very glad our team effort found what you were looking for; thanks for
your generous rating!

Asking-ga

the answer was on the right track, and I know the researcher would
have gotten it if one of the commentors hadn't gotten it first.  Very
happy with this service!

Hi gidget,

Another French phrase which is extremely close to what you are looking
for (and which maybe a solution for you) is:

"raison d'être" for example:

person 1.  He´s a great lawyer!
person 2.  Well, it´s his "raison d'être" 

Literally meaning "it´s his reason for being" in that it´s what he
does best, it´s what he´s known for etc...

"The French term, "raison d'être," means "reason for being" or
"justification for existence."
http://www.heritagebc.net/Purpose.htm

Hope This Helps.

THX1138

Search Strategy:
*Personal Knowledge*

and then I searched for:
"raison d'etre means"
://www.google.com/search?hl=pt&as_qdr=all&q=+%22raison+d%27etre+means%22&btnG=Pesquisa+Google&lr=

As per your clarification, I believe the term you are looking for is
"pièce de résistance."

OED:
pièce de résistance /pjEs d<schwa> rezistA:s/ n. phr. Pl. pièces de
résistance (pronounced same).L18. [Fr.]1 The most important or
outstanding item. L18. 2 The main dish of a meal. M19.Musical
Quarterly After a fantasy for flute..came the pièce de résistance, El
Sitio de Zaragoza.

A French phrase with a very similar meaning, but not as common is: 
"chef d' oeuvre"

Hope this helps!

Chef d'oeuvre is the phrase I was looking for, believe it or not. 
Thank you so much!

gidget-ga

I always thought a chef d'oeuvre was someone who was good at making omelettes... ;-)

just to clarify, even though you already got your answer: chef
d'oeuvre does NOT mean "that which an individual is known for",
although it's not very far. it means "masterpiece, especially in
literature or art". and masterpiece, in case you were wondering, means
"1. an outstanding work of art or craft; 2. the greatest work, as of
an artist; 3. something superlative of its kind". arguably, the
greatest work of an artist is that which he is most known for, but
unfortunately this is not always the case!
source: dictionary.com
-d

In case anyone is interested "chef d' oeuvre" literally means 'payment
for work' or something similar.  I think if you interpret that as
'some labor you have done that you feel deserves adequate recompense'
then you can kind of see how you get the idiomatic meaning of
'masterpiece'.  I hope that made sense.

chef-d'oeuvre DOES NOT mean "payment for work" as someone said, it
literally means "head of work"