opusculum

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The Word of the Day for April 22 is:

opusculum   \oh-PUS-kyuh-lum\   noun
     : a minor work (as of literature)

Example sentence:
     The book is a collection of opuscula written by the author between his two 
major novels.

Did you know?
     "Opusculum" -- which is often used in its plural form "opuscula" -- comes 
from Latin, where it serves as the diminutive form of the noun "opus," meaning 
"work." In English, "opus" can refer to any literary or artistic work, though 
it often specifically refers to a musical piece. Logically, then, "opusculum" 
refers to a short or minor work. ("Opusculum" isn't restricted to music, 
though. In fact, it is most often used for literary works.) The Latin plural of 
"opus" is "opera," which gave us (via Italian) the word we know for a musical 
production consisting primarily of vocal pieces performed with orchestral 
accompaniment. We can also thank "opus" for our verb "operate." 





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