Opusculum
/ˌoʊ.pəsˈkjuː.ləm/noun
A short literary or scholarly work, especially a small treatise.
Did you know?Opusculum is a Latin diminutive of opus, and that same ancient root gave English words like cooperate, operate, and even opus — proof that “work” has been a prestige concept for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ep-
“to work, produce, or perform”
Latin
Latin
opus
“work, task, deed, labor, a piece of work”
Latin
Latin
opusculum
“a little work; a small literary or scholarly composition”
Late Middle English
English
opuscle
“a small work or treatise”
Modern English
English
opusculum
“a short literary or scholarly work”
Explore more surprising origins