Definition

1. Noun:
   • A creative work, especially a musical composition: "opus" primarily refers to a single completed piece of music, often one of substantial size or importance, created by a composer.
   • An artistic or literary work: More broadly, "opus" can denote any significant artistic, literary, or intellectual creation, typically seen as a major effort by its creator.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Beethoven's Opus 131 is a string quartet. (This refers to a specific musical work by Beethoven.)
  • The novelist considered her latest book her magnum opus. (This uses "opus" to refer to a major literary work.)
  • The catalog lists the composer's complete opus. (Here, "opus" refers to the entire collection of a composer's works.)

Advanced Usage

• "Magnum opus": A great and large work of art, literature, or music, considered the most important work of an artist's career.
  • Many consider "Moby-Dick" to be Herman Melville's magnum opus.
• "Opus number" (often abbreviated Op.): A number assigned to a musical composition to indicate its chronological order of publication or composition within a composer's output.
  • You can find the sonata published as Op. 27, No. 2.

Variants and Related Words

• Opera (n): While related etymologically (both from Latin for "work"), "opera" specifically refers to a dramatic musical work for the stage. It is a distinct word, not a variant of "opus."
• Operate (v): To function or work. Shares the same Latin root but has a different meaning.

Synonyms

• Composition: A piece of music or writing.
• Work: A thing created through effort or skill.
• Piece: A single item of a creative type, such as a musical piece.

Idioms and Phrases

• Magnum opus: As detailed in 'Advanced Usage,' this is the primary idiom using "opus." It means a creator's greatest work.

Noun

1. a musical work that has been created
   • the composition is written in four movements