English Explanatory Dictionary

magnum opus

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A great or important work of literature, music or art, a masterpiece.
  2. The best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author or artist, representing their major life effort.
  3. The process of working with the prima materia to create the philosopher's stone.

Pronunciation

măg'nəm ōʹpəs /ˌmæɡnəm ˈəʊpəs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-magnum opus.wav /ˌmæɡnəm ˈoʊpəs/

Word forms

magnum opus magna opera magnum opuses

Etymology

From Latin magnum opus (“great work”).

Synonyms

masterpiece great work opus magnum crowning achievement
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on M Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary