opus
opus Lexical Profile
opus Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A separate musical composition or set of compositions by a particular composer, usually numbered in order of publication or creation.
"The pianist performed Beethoven's Opus 27, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata."
Any artistic, literary, or intellectual work, especially one on a large, ambitious, or significant scale.
"The historian spent over a decade researching and writing her latest multi-volume opus on the Roman Empire."
Word Nuance & Usage
While "opuses" is standard in everyday English, the Latin plural "opera" is still occasionally seen in academic musicology, though it is generally avoided in general writing to prevent confusion with the theatrical genre.
• Rhymes for opus
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed directly from Latin opus (plural opera), meaning "work, labor, or artistic composition," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *op- ("to work" or "to produce in abundance").