opus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin opus.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊpəs, -ɒpəs

Noun

opus (plural opuses or opera)

1. A work of music or set of works with a specified rank in an ordering of a composer's complete published works.

   Beethoven's opus eighteen quartets are considered by many to be the beginning of the Romantic era.

2. A work, especially of art.

   The painter's last opus was a dedication to all things living, in a surprising contrast to all of his prior work.

Usage notes

The most common plural of opus in English is opuses. Some people use the Latin plural, opera. Opi is fairly common in the field of classical music, though mostly in informal contexts. The use of any of these three pluralizations may result in the speaker being corrected, though opi above all should be avoided in formal contexts. Outside of music, the word opus sees particularly frequent use in the expression magnum opus.

Anagrams

• pous
• soup

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Latin

Etymology

From an s-stem Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep-os- (“work”), from the verbal root *h₃ep- (“to work”), whence also ops and omnis. Cognates include Sanskrit अपस् (ápas, “work, action”) and Old English efnen (“to perform”).

Noun

opus (genitive operis); n, third declension

1. work, accomplishment
2. need

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	opus	opera
genitive	operis	operum
dative	operī	operibus
accusative	opus	opera
ablative	opere	operibus
vocative	opus	opera

Derived terms

• opera
• operor
• opusculum

Descendants

Catalan: ops English: opus Italian: uopo Old French: ues

Romanian: op Old Spanish: uebos Spanish: opus

References

• Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008, page 432

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Portuguese

Verb

opus (infinitive: opor)

1. First-person singular (eu) preterite indicative of verb opor.