opus

[oh-puhs]

noun

plural

opuses, opera 

1. a musical composition.

2. one of the compositions of a composer, usually numbered according to the order of publication.

3. a literary work or composition, as a book: op.

   Have you read her latest opus?

opus

/ ˈəʊpəs, ˈɔp- /

noun

1. an artistic composition, esp a musical work

2. (often capital) (usually followed by a number) a musical composition by a particular composer, generally catalogued in order of publication

   Beethoven's opus 61 is his violin concerto

Word History and Origins

Origin of opus¹

1695–1705; < Latin: work, labor, a work

Word History and Origins

Origin of opus¹

C18: from Latin: a work; compare Sanskrit apas work

Example Sentences

Her first self-described opus was a collection of poems, “Rhyming Cats,” before she moved on to a morality puppet play featuring a ghost and an “expose of false narratives.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The dictionary is Garner’s magnum opus, as essential to attorneys as Gray’s Anatomy is to physicians.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Remember the left-wing film director Michael Moore’s 2019 opus “Planet of the Humans”? Of course you don’t.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When Anni Albers published her theoretical magnum opus “On Weaving” in 1965, she was already lamenting the loss of our tactile sensibilities, which have undeniably worsened in the digital era.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In 1966, Wilson led The Beach Boys in the production of "Pet Sounds," the magnum opus that elevated the group’s stature for all time.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• magnum opus