• opuscule •
Pronunciation: ê-pês-kyul • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A small creative work such as a short article, poem, or short piece of music.
Notes: Opuscule is a diminutive of opus, as in magnum opus "major work". (A diminutive is a word meaning "a small X", as a booklet in English means "small book" and duckling means "small duck".) Things that have the characteristic of a small creative work are opuscular, which leaves the door open for opuscularity, a word no one seems to have dared use thus far.
In Play: This word may refer seriously to any short creative work: "Dr. Goodword enjoys writing opuscules on interesting English words in his Good Word series." It may also be used derisively: "Hadley thinks that he will receive tenure at this university on the basis of the opuscules he publishes in obscure journals from time to time."
Word History: Today's Good Word was borrowed from Latin opusculum "small work", as mentioned above, the diminutive of opus, operis "work". The plural of opus was opera in Latin, but English borrowed it for an entirely different use. The root of opus (oper-) is found in many words English borrowed from Latin and its Romance daughter languages. These include opera, operate, and opulent, from Latin opulentus "rich, wealthy", a word that made sense when wealth was related to work. A late Latin compound verb, manuoperare "work with the hands", from manus "hand" + operare "work", came to French as manœuvrer. English borrowed this word as maneuver (British manoeuvre) but early farmers maneuvered it to fit something they often maneuvered in the field: manure. Believe it or not. (Today's opuscule on the word opuscule was suggested by the mysterious Grogie in the Alpha Agora.)
OPUSCULE
- Dr. Goodword
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7420
- Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
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OPUSCULE
• The Good Dr. Goodword
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 4423
- Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
- Location: Land of the Flat Water
Several members of Alpha Agora wrote a group opuscule, which can be seen at:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4249
Sadly, Mr. Holland was not a participant.
http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4249
Sadly, Mr. Holland was not a participant.
Ars longa, vita brevis
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 4423
- Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
- Location: Land of the Flat Water
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