Word of the Day
: September 22, 2020operose
playWhat It Means
operose in Context
"Reading this biography reminded me that Lawrence's prose, though old-fashioned and a bit operose, is full of beautiful things." — Matthew Walther, The Spectator, 11 Oct. 2014
"After several operose months of the tear-out and build-up process, Brandon Stupka, the one who has been working on the remodel project…, has finally opened his doors for business…." — The McPherson (Kansas) Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2013
Did You Know?
Operose comes from the Latin operōsus, which has the meaning of "diligent," "painstaking" or "laborious." That word combines opera, meaning "activity," "effort," or "work," with -ōsus—the Latin equivalent of the English -ose and -ous suffixes, meaning "full of" or "abounding in." In its earliest uses, in the mid-16th century, the word was used to describe people who are industrious or painstaking in their efforts. About a century later, the word was being applied as it more commonly is today: as an adjective describing tasks and undertakings requiring much time and effort.
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Word Family Quiz
What is the meaning of English oeuvre, a borrowing from a French word derived from Latin opera?
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