opus

noun

ˈō-pəs

plural opera ˈō-pə-rə How to pronounce opus (audio)

ˈä-

also opuses ˈō-pə-səz How to pronounce opus (audio)

: work entry 2 sense 3b

… produced a vast opus on the history of civilization.

Norman Cousins

At present he is planning the Pumpkins' next release, a double-album opus that is bound to delight the fans who snatched up his band's last release …

Chris Mundy

especially : a musical composition or set of compositions usually numbered in the order of its issue

the composer's first opus

"… opus numbers are meant to indicate the chronological order of musical pieces, although sometimes they indicate the order of publication rather than the exact order of composition. Sometimes it's actually scholars who make chronological catalogs long after the composers have died. …"

Miles Hoffman

Did you know?

A literary opus is often a single novel, though the word may sometimes refer to all of a writer's works. But opus normally is used for musical works. Mendelssohn's Opus 90 is his Italian Symphony, for example, and Brahms's Op. 77 is his Violin Concerto. Since many composers' works were never given opus numbers in an orderly way, they now often have catalog numbers assigned by later scholars. So Haydn's Symphony No. 104 is Hob.104 (Hob. is short for Anthony van Hoboken, the cataloger), and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is K.492 (K. stands for Ludwig Köchel).

Example Sentences

the composer's final opus was performed posthumously to great acclaim

Recent Examples on the Web The Nashville singer-songwriter demonstrated exactly that during her surging set, which highlighted the spooky, solemn songs from her 2021 opus A Southern Gothic.

Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 25 July 2022 This sharply executed, good-humored horror opus represents a promising first dual directorial effort for Fernando Gonzalez Gomez and Raul Cerezo, each of whom has a number of shorts under his belt.

Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2022 Juliette Porter's friendships with a hapless group of twenty-somethings are the focus of this MTV opus.

Amy Mackelden, ELLE, 30 Apr. 2022 In director Federico Fellini’s atmospheric opus La Dolce Vita, roadsters play as pivotal a role in the meandering storyline as do its glamorous Romans.

Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 25 May 2022 The record is a down-tempo pop opus, one that exposes the dark shadows behind the American Dream.

James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2022 Donald Glover’s hilarious opus Atlanta on FX is coming to a close.

Essence, 26 June 2021 Harrison's graduation from the band's lead guitarist to full-fledged creative partner is arguably the chief subplot of Jackson's eight-hour opus, and his representative Rock Hall outfit reflects this metamorphosis.

Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 4 Apr. 2022 Villeneuve’s omission is shocking because the film performed so well in other categories and he was widely credited with wrestling Frank Herbert’s futuristic opus into a compelling piece of cinema.

Jordan Moreau, Variety, 8 Feb. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin oper-, opus (plural opera) "work, effort, product of labor, work of art," going back to Indo-European *h₃ep-os-, *h₃ep-es- "work" (whence also Sanskrit apas- "work, action"), derivative of *h₃ep- "ability, force," whence Latin op-, *ops "power, ability, wealth, resource(s)," and, with varying suffixation, Sanskrit apnas- "possession, property, work," Hittite happina- "rich," happir-, happar- "business, trade," Germanic *afla- (whence Old English afol "power, might," Old Norse afl "strength"); and, with lengthened ablaut grade, Sanskrit āpas- "work, religious act," Avestan huuāpah- "performing good deeds," Germanic *ōbjan- "to perform" (whence Old Saxon oƀian "to celebrate," Old High German uoben, uoppen "to practice, exercise")

Note: Possibly also related are Old Norse efna "to perform, fulfill," Old English efnan "to accomplish, achieve" (from Germanic *abnjan-?), but this is uncertain.

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

opus

noun

as in piece

a literary, musical, or artistic production the composer's final opus was performed posthumously to great acclaim

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

piece
composition
work
masterpiece
oeuvre
number
classic
showpiece
sketch
magnum opus
étude
model
corpus
outline
canon
pièce de résistance

单词	opus
释义	opus noun ˈō-pəs plural opera ˈō-pə-rə ˈä- also opuses ˈō-pə-səz : work entry 2 sense 3b … produced a vast opus on the history of civilization. Norman Cousins At present he is planning the Pumpkins' next release, a double-album opus that is bound to delight the fans who snatched up his band's last release … Chris Mundy especially : a musical composition or set of compositions usually numbered in the order of its issue the composer's first opus "… opus numbers are meant to indicate the chronological order of musical pieces, although sometimes they indicate the order of publication rather than the exact order of composition. Sometimes it's actually scholars who make chronological catalogs long after the composers have died. …" Miles Hoffman Did you know? A literary opus is often a single novel, though the word may sometimes refer to all of a writer's works. But opus normally is used for musical works. Mendelssohn's Opus 90 is his Italian Symphony, for example, and Brahms's Op. 77 is his Violin Concerto. Since many composers' works were never given opus numbers in an orderly way, they now often have catalog numbers assigned by later scholars. So Haydn's Symphony No. 104 is Hob.104 (Hob. is short for Anthony van Hoboken, the cataloger), and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is K.492 (K. stands for Ludwig Köchel). Synonyms composition number piece work See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences the composer's final opus was performed posthumously to great acclaim Recent Examples on the Web The Nashville singer-songwriter demonstrated exactly that during her surging set, which highlighted the spooky, solemn songs from her 2021 opus A Southern Gothic. Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 25 July 2022 This sharply executed, good-humored horror opus represents a promising first dual directorial effort for Fernando Gonzalez Gomez and Raul Cerezo, each of whom has a number of shorts under his belt. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2022 Juliette Porter's friendships with a hapless group of twenty-somethings are the focus of this MTV opus. Amy Mackelden, ELLE, 30 Apr. 2022 In director Federico Fellini’s atmospheric opus La Dolce Vita, roadsters play as pivotal a role in the meandering storyline as do its glamorous Romans. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 25 May 2022 The record is a down-tempo pop opus, one that exposes the dark shadows behind the American Dream. James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2022 Donald Glover’s hilarious opus Atlanta on FX is coming to a close. Essence, 26 June 2021 Harrison's graduation from the band's lead guitarist to full-fledged creative partner is arguably the chief subplot of Jackson's eight-hour opus, and his representative Rock Hall outfit reflects this metamorphosis. Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 4 Apr. 2022 Villeneuve’s omission is shocking because the film performed so well in other categories and he was widely credited with wrestling Frank Herbert’s futuristic opus into a compelling piece of cinema. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 8 Feb. 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Latin oper-, opus (plural opera) "work, effort, product of labor, work of art," going back to Indo-European h₃ep-os-, h₃ep-es- "work" (whence also Sanskrit apas- "work, action"), derivative of h₃ep- "ability, force," whence Latin op-, ops "power, ability, wealth, resource(s)," and, with varying suffixation, Sanskrit apnas- "possession, property, work," Hittite happina- "rich," happir-, happar- "business, trade," Germanic afla- (whence Old English afol* "power, might," Old Norse afl "strength"); and, with lengthened ablaut grade, Sanskrit āpas- "work, religious act," Avestan huuāpah- "performing good deeds," Germanic ōbjan- "to perform" (whence Old Saxon oƀian* "to celebrate," Old High German uoben, uoppen "to practice, exercise") Note: Possibly also related are Old Norse efna "to perform, fulfill," Old English efnan "to accomplish, achieve" (from Germanic abnjan-?), but this is uncertain. First Known Use 1808, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing opus* magnum opus magnum opus opus noun as in piece a literary, musical, or artistic production the composer's final opus was performed posthumously to great acclaim Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance piece composition work masterpiece oeuvre number classic showpiece sketch magnum opus étude model corpus outline canon pièce de résistance Phrases Containing opus magnum opus magnum opus
随便看	hispaniolas hispaniolise hispaniolised hispaniolises hispaniolising hispaniolize hispaniolized hispaniolizes hispaniolizing hispanism hispanisms Hispanist hispanists hispanization hispanize Hispano Hispano-Moresque hispanophil hispanophile hispanos Hisperic hispid hispid cotton rat hispidder hispiddest

opus

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing opus

noun

Phrases Containing opus