Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

magnum opus

/ˌmæɡnəm ˈoʊpəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.96 in modern English

Syllables: mag-num o-pus
IPA: /ˌmæɡnəm ˈoʊpəs/

17

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A great or important work of literature, music or art, a masterpiece.

noun

The best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author or artist, representing their major life effort.

noun

The process of working with the prima materia to create the philosopher's stone.

Example Sentences

"The 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is widely considered to be George Orwell's magnum opus."

Etymology

From Latin magnum opus (“great work”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₃ep-, magnum opus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌmæɡnəm ˈoʊpəs/
British English: /ˌmæɡnəm ˈəʊpəs/

Inflected Forms

magna opera (plural) magnum opuses (plural)

Derived Forms

magnoperate

Synonyms

masterpiece great work opus magnum crowning achievement

Questions

How do you pronounce magnum opus?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmæɡnəm ˈoʊpəs/.
What does magnum opus mean?: A great or important work of literature, music or art, a masterpiece.
Where does magnum opus come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce magnum opus

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