entry
opus
/ˈəʊpəs/A work, especially a musical composition
From Latin opus (work).
from PIE root *op- "to work, produce in abundance." The plural, seldom used as such, is opera . Opus Dei , literally...
from Proto-Italic *opes- "work,"
from Latin opus "a work, labor, exertion" (source of Italian opera , French oeuvre , Spanish obra )
+1 more sourcefrom Latin opus "a work, labor, exertion" (source of Italian opera , French oeuvre , Spanish obra )
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from PIE root *op- "to work, produce in abundance." The plural, seldom used as such, is opera . Opus Dei , literally...
from Proto-Italic *opes- "work,"
from Latin opus "a work, labor, exertion" (source of Italian opera , French oeuvre , Spanish obra )
+1 more sourcefrom Latin opus "a work, labor, exertion" (source of Italian opera , French oeuvre , Spanish obra )
+1 more sourceRoman Latin had a wonderfully blunt habit of naming things by what they did, and opus was one of its workhorse words: labor, effort, a thing made by hands. By 1809, English critics were borrowing it for musical compositions, which is why a Beethoven set can be labeled an opus as if the score were a monument under construction. The same old root shows up in opera, operation, and operant, so you can hear the hum of work in all of them, while opulence is a distant cousin from the same family tree of plenty and productive force. Even Opus Dei, literally “the work of God,” keeps the old sense alive in a very modern setting. It’s a tidy little reminder that before a word meant “masterpiece,” it usually meant plain old work.
The Story
Roman Latin had a wonderfully blunt habit of naming things by what they did, and opus was one of its workhorse words: labor, effort, a thing made by hands. By 1809, English critics were borrowing it for musical compositions, which is why a Beethoven set can be labeled an opus as if the score were a monument under construction. The same old root shows up in opera, operation, and operant, so you can hear the hum of work in all of them, while opulence is a distant cousin from the same family tree of plenty and productive force. Even Opus Dei, literally “the work of God,” keeps the old sense alive in a very modern setting. It’s a tidy little reminder that before a word meant “masterpiece,” it usually meant plain old work.
Kin & Kindred
From 'opus'·work, labor, exertion
Derived Terms
English words from this root