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magnum opus

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noun

a great work, especially the chief work of a writer or artist: Proust's magnum opus is Remembrance of Things Past.

RELATED WORDS

jewel, masterpiece, masterstroke, masterwork, showpiece

Nearby words

  1. magnoliaceous,
  2. magnoliid,
  3. magnox,
  4. magnox reactor,
  5. magnum,
  6. magnus,
  7. magnus annus,
  8. magnus effect,
  9. magnus hitch,
  10. magog

Origin of magnum opus

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1785–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for magnum opus

magnum opus

noun

a great work of art or literature, esp the greatest single work of an artist

Word Origin for magnum opus

Latin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for magnum opus

magnum opus

"masterpiece, a person's greatest work," Latin, literally "great work" (see magnum + opus).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture definitions for magnum opus

magnum opus

[ (mag-nuhm oh-puhs) ]

The most important work in a person's career, especially in literature, art, or scholarship: “Moby Dick was Melville's magnum opus.” From Latin, meaning “great work.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.