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Today it means

opus

a musical composition

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Where does the word "opus" come from? It comes from Latin opus, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "opus" come from? It comes from Latin opus, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Opus’s story begins in Latin: opus meant “work.” The root of 'opera' and 'operate'. It reached English by 1800s as opus. 'magnum opus' means great work. Today, opus means a musical composition.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient opus "work", the root of 'opera' and 'operate'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s opus "musical work", 'magnum opus' means great work.

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