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op·er·a1 
Audio Help [op-er-uh, op-ruh] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [op-er-uh, op-ruh] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | an extended dramatic composition, in which all parts are sung to instrumental accompaniment, that usually includes arias, choruses, and recitatives, and that sometimes includes ballet. Compare comic opera, grand opera. |
| 2. | the form or branch of musical and dramatic art represented by such compositions. |
| 3. | the score or the words of such a composition. |
| 4. | a performance of one: to go to the opera. |
| 5. | (sometimes initial capital letter) an opera house or resident company: the Paris Opera. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Opera
To learn more about Opera visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
o·pus
Audio Help [oh-puhs] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [oh-puhs] Pronunciation Key –noun, plural o·pus·es or, esp. for 1, 2, o·pe·ra
Audio Help [oh-per-uh, op-er-uh] Pronunciation Key.
Audio Help [oh-per-uh, op-er-uh] Pronunciation Key. | 1. | a musical composition. |
| 2. | one of the compositions of a composer, usually numbered according to the order of publication. |
| 3. | a literary work or composition, as a book: Have you read her latest opus? Abbreviation: op. |
[Origin: 1695–1705; < L: work, labor, a work]
] | Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| op·er·a 1
Audio Help (ŏp'ər-ə, ŏp'rə) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Italian, work, opera, from Latin, work, service; see op- in Indo-European roots.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| o·pe·ra 2
Audio Help (ō'pər-ə, ŏp'ər-ə) Pronunciation Key
n. A plural of opus. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| o·pus
Audio Help (ō'pəs) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. o·pe·ra (ō'pər-ə, ŏp'ər-ə) or o·pus·es A creative work, especially a musical composition numbered to designate the order of a composer's works. [Latin; see op- in Indo-European roots.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
opera
"a drama sung," 1644, from It. opera, lit. "a work," from L. opera "work, effort" (L. plural regarded as fem. sing.), secondary (abstract) noun from operari "to work," from opus (gen. operis) "a work" (see opus). Defined in "Elson's Music Dictionary" as, "a form of musical composition evolved shortly before 1600, by some enthusiastic Florentine amateurs who sought to bring back the Greek plays to the modern stage."
"No good opera plot can be sensible. ... People do not sing when they are feeling sensible." [W.H. Auden, 1961]As a branch of dramatic art, it is attested from 1759. Operatic (adj.) formed 1749, on model of dramatic. First record of opera glass "small binoculars for use at the theater" is from 1738. Soap opera is first recorded 1939, as a disparaging reference to daytime radio dramas sponsored by soap manufacturers. Operetta, with It. diminutive ending, first recorded 1770.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| opera | |
noun | |
| 1. | a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes |
| 2. | a commercial browser |
| 3. | a building where musical dramas are performed |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
opera [ˈopərə] noun
a musical drama in which the dialogue is sung
Example: an opera by Verdi
See also: opera-house, operatic, opera glassesExample: an opera by Verdi
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
opera
A musical drama that is totally or mostly sung. A&idie;da, Carmen, and Don Giovanni are some celebrated operas. A light, comic opera is often called an operetta.
[Chapter:] Fine Arts
| The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
Opera
In*ure"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inured; p. pr. & vb. n. Inuring.] [From pref. in- in + ure use, work. See Ure use, practice, Opera, and cf. Manure.] To apply in use; to train; to discipline; to use or accustom till use gives little or no pain or inconvenience; to harden; to habituate; to practice habitually. "To inure our prompt obedience." --Milton. He . . . did inure them to speak little. --Sir T. North. Inured and exercised in learning. --Robynson (More's Utopia). The poor, inured to drudgery and distress. --Cowper.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
OPERA
OPERA: in Acronym Finder
| Acronym Finder, © 1988-2007 Mountain Data Systems |
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