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Store today's operose in your memory along with operate, operation, operator, cooperate, and even opera. All of these come from the Latin word for "work, effort, labor."
And here's one more: a two-word term meaning "great work" or "most accomplished creation".
make your point with...
"OPEROSE"
An operose thing takes a whole lot of effort or labor, and an operose person is busy and hardworking.
Pronunciation:
OP uh roce
Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "an operose thing" or "an operose person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was operose." or "He was operose.")
Other forms:
The adverb is operosely, and the nouns are operoseness and operosity, both rare.
How to use it:
Why bother knowing operose when it's rare and when you already know laborious and tedious for things as well as diligent and industrious for people? My answer is familiar to longtime subscribers: comprehension and variety. That is, you want to understand it when you encounter it, and you want it as a backup for when you've already used other synonyms.
Plus, operose carries a lofty, formal tone that you don't get from, say, tedious.
Anyway, talk about operose things: operose assignments and tasks and accomplishments, operose methods and strategies, an operose process or business, operose texts, and an operose writing style.
You can also have operose people: operose workers, operose students, operose researchers, operose historians, operose musicians, etc.
examples:
The new movie based on The Little Prince adds a frame to the story: an operose eight-year-old, bent on studying all summer so she can shine in her new academy, gets distracted by her aging neighbor's stories. And he's the aviator who narrates the original book.
If you can deal with their operose style, both Poe and Lovecraft have fascinating stories to tell.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "operose" means when you can explain it without saying "painstaking" or "requiring a ton of effort."
try it out:
Think of a difficult, time-consuming way you used to do something. Fill in the blanks: "My method (of/for) _____ had grown operose: (explain what you were doing took so much work)."
Example: "My method for storing files on my hard drive had grown operose: separate folders for this, that, everything; some linked to shortcuts on the desktop. Now I delete whatever I can and shove the rest into a single folder."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we’re playing with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play!
From yesterday: What are the 2 anagrams for TROPE?
Answer: REPOT and TOPER. A toper is a drunkard, and in case the other's meaning isn't clicking for you, to repot a plant is to put it in a new pot.
Try this one today: What is the 1 anagram for KINDS?
review today's word:
1. The opposite of OPEROSE is
A. FRUITLESS
B. FACILE
C. FALSE
2. It's a good idea, but next time, let's devise a method _____ operose.
A. of
B. less
C. more
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. B
2. B
Store today's operose in your memory along with operate, operation, operator, cooperate, and even opera. All of these come from the Latin word for "work, effort, labor."
"OPEROSE" An operose thing takes a whole lot of effort or labor, and an operose person is busy and hardworking. Pronunciation: Part of speech:
The new movie based on The Little Prince adds a frame to the story: an operose eight-year-old, bent on studying all summer so she can shine in her new academy, gets distracted by her aging neighbor's stories. And he's the aviator who narrates the original book.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "operose" means when you can explain it without saying "painstaking" or "requiring a ton of effort."
Think of a difficult, time-consuming way you used to do something. Fill in the blanks: "My method (of/for) _____ had grown operose: (explain what you were doing took so much work)."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of OPEROSE is
To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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