Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A great work, especially a literary or artistic masterpiece.
- noun The greatest single work of an artist, writer, or composer.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A great work of art or literature.
- noun The greatest work or achievement of a particular artist, writer, or other individual.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A great
work ofliterature orart , amasterpiece . - noun The best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an
author orartist , representing his major life effort.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a great work of art or literature
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Latin : magnum, neuter of magnus, great + opus, work.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Latin magnum opus ("great work").
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Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
sionnach commented on the word magnum opus
a big Irish cat.
July 14, 2008
dontcry commented on the word magnum opus
This made me think of Magnum Opie... which, unfortunately, induced a fit of giggles. How sad is that?
June 28, 2011
dinkum commented on the word magnum opus
WORD: magnum opus
EXAMPLE from Charlotte's Web:
Next to her, attached to the ceiling, Wilbur saw a curious object. It was a sort of sac, or cocoon. It was peach-colored and looked as though it were made of cotton candy.
"What is that nifty little thing? Did you make it? Is it a plaything?
"Plaything? I should say not. It is my egg sac, my magnum opus."
"I don't know what a magnum opus is," said Wilbur.
"That's Latin," explained Charlotte. "It means 'great work.' This egg sac is my great work -- the finest thing I have ever made."
"What's inside it? asked Wilbur. "Eggs?"
"Five hundred and fourteen of them," she replied.
-- 1952 E.B. WHITE. Charlotte's Web. Chapter XIX -- The Egg Sac (pages 144 - 145).
September 28, 2013