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The painter's last opus was a dedication to all things living, in a surprising contrast to all of his prior work.
Usage notes
The most common plural of opus in English is opuses. Some people use the Latin plural, opera. Opi is fairly common in the field of classical music, though mostly in informal contexts. The use of any of these three pluralizations may result in the speaker being corrected, though opi, above all, should be avoided in formal contexts. Outside of music, the word opus sees particularly frequent use in the expression magnum opus.
“opus”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03
Omnia Geōmetriae Problēmata facile ad hujusmodī terminōs redūcī possunt, ut deinde ad illōrum cōnstrūctiōnem, opus tantum sit rēctārum quārundam līneārum longitūdinem cognōscere.
All Problems of Geometry can easily be reduced to such terms, that afterwards for their construction, there is only need to get to know the length of certain straight lines.
“opus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“opus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
opus in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
opus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
opus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
to devote every spare moment to...; to work without intermission at a thing: nullum tempus intermittere, quin (also ab opere, or ad opus)
to entreat earnestly; to make urgent requests: magno opere, vehementer, etiam atque etiam rogare aliquem
to do work (especially agricultural): opusfacere (De Senect. 7. 24)
to take a task in hand, engage upon it: opus aggredi
to take a task in hand, engage upon it: ad opus faciendum accedere
a work of art: artis opus; opus arte factum or perfectum
a master-piece of classical work: opus summo artificio factum
a master-piece of classical work: opus omnibus numeris absolutum
to polish, finish a work with the greatest care: perpolire, limare diligenter librum, opus
to contract for the building of something: opus locare
to undertake the contract for a work: opus redimere, conducere
tillage; cultivation: opus rusticum
a town artificially fortified: oppidum manu (opere) munitum
to set fire to the siege-works: ignem inferre operibus (B. C. 2. 14)
in short; to be brief: ne multa, quid plura? sed quid opus est plura?
(ambiguous) to strain every nerve, do one's utmost in a matter: omni ope atque opera or omni virium contentione eniti, ut
(ambiguous) designedly; intentionally: de industria, dedita opera (opp. imprudens)
(ambiguous) to put the finishing touch to a work: extrema manus accēdit operi (active extremam manum imponere operi)
(ambiguous) to let out public works to contract: locare opera publica
(ambiguous) to raise siege-works: opera facere
De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 432