Adjacent Words

opus definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a musical work that has been created; "the composition is written in four movements" [syn: musical composition, opus, composition, piece, piece of music]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural opera; also opuses) Etymology: Latin oper-, opus — more at operate Date: 1809 work; especially a musical composition or set of compositions usually numbered in the order of its issue

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. opuses or opera) 1 Mus. a a separate musical composition or set of compositions of any kind. b (also op.) used before a number given to a composer's work, usu. indicating the order of publication (Beethoven, op. 15). 2 any artistic work (cf. MAGNUM OPUS). Phrases and idioms: opus Dei Eccl. 1 liturgical worship regarded as man's primary duty to God. 2 (Opus Dei) a Roman Catholic organization of laymen and priests founded in Spain in 1928 with the aim of re-establishing Christian ideals in society. Etymology: L, = work

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Opus O"pus, n.; pl. Opera. [L. See Opera.] A work; specif. (Mus.), a musical composition. Note: Each composition, or set of pieces, as the composer may choose, is called an opus, and they are numbered in the order of their issue. (Often abbrev. to op.)

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(opuses, or opera) 1. An opus is a piece of classical music by a particular composer. Opus is usually followed by a number which indicates at what point the piece was written. The abbreviation op. is also used. ...Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E minor, Opus 90. N-COUNT: usu N num 2. You can refer to an artistic work such as a piece of music or writing or a painting as an opus. ...the new opus from Peter Gabriel. = work N-COUNT see also magnum opus

Moby Thesaurus

Nachtmusik, absolute music, adaptation, air varie, aleatory, aleatory music, arrangement, article, artifact, autograph, best seller, book, bound book, brainchild, chamber music, chamber orchestra, child, classic, coinage, coloring book, composition, computer printout, concoction, copy, creation, creature, crowning achievement, definitive work, descant, distillation, document, draft, edited version, effect, electronic music, end product, engrossment, essay, essence, etude, exercise, extract, fair copy, fiction, final draft, finished version, first draft, flimsy, folio, fruit, great work, handiwork, hardback, harmonization, holograph, incidental music, instrumental music, invention, issue, juvenile, juvenile book, letter, limp-cover book, literae scriptae, literary artefact, literary production, literature, lucubration, magnum opus, manufacture, manuscript, masterpiece, masterwork, matter, mintage, new mintage, nocturne, nonbook, nonfiction, notebook, novel, oeuvre, offspring, opera, opuscule, opusculum, orchestration, original, origination, outcome, outgrowth, paper, paperback, parchment, penscript, picture book, piece, piece of writing, play, playbook, pocket book, poem, prayer book, printed matter, printout, product, production, program music, psalmbook, psalter, publication, reading matter, recension, result, ricercar, score, screed, scrip, script, scrive, scroll, second draft, serial, sketchbook, soft-cover, sonata, sonatina, songbook, standard work, storybook, string orchestra, string quartet, study, the written word, theme and variations, title, tome, trade book, transcript, transcription, trio, typescript, variation, version, volume, work, writing