magnoperate

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mæɡˈnɒpəɹeɪt/

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /mæɡˈnɑpəɹeɪt/
• Hyphenation: mag‧no‧per‧ate

From Latin magnopere (“exceedingly, greatly; earnestly, vehemently”) + English -ate (suffix forming verbs with the sense ‘to act in the specified manner’), modelled after operate.[1][2] Magnopere is derived from magnō opere (“with great labour; exceedingly, greatly”), from magnō (the ablative masculine or neuter singular of magnus (“big, large; (figuratively) great, important”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (“big, great”)) + opere (the ablative singular of opus (“accomplishment, work; work (of art, literature, etc.)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“to toil, work; to make; ability; force”)).

magnoperate (third-person singular simple present magnoperates, present participle magnoperating, simple past and past participle magnoperated) (rare)

1. (transitive) To magnify the greatness of (someone or something); to exalt.
   • 1610, Arthur Hopton, “To the Right Honovrable, Robert Earle of Salisbvry, [...]”, in Bacvlvm Geodæticvm, sive Viaticvm. Or The Geodeticall Staffe, […], London: […] Nicholas Okes for Simon Waterson, […], OCLC 926194352:

     [A]fter-ages may rightly admire what noble Mecœnas it was that ſo inchayned the aſpiring wits of this vnderſtanding age to his only cenſure, which will not a little magnoperate the ſplendor of your well knowne Honour, to theſe ſucceeding times.

2. (intransitive) To act grandly.
   • 1906 December 28, “His Majesty’s Theatre. ‘Antony and Cleopatra.’ [theatre review]”, in The Times, number 38,215, London: George Edward Wright, ISSN 0140-0460, OCLC 909100542, page 3, column 6:

     Meanwhile you cannot help liking his [Herbert Beerbohm Tree's] Antony—which, of course, is quite the right frame of mind. There is something large and liberal and genial in the man; you are made to feel that, in [Lord] Byron's phrase, he is used to "magnoperating."

   • 1921 March, George Sampson, “Sir Edward Elgar”, in The Bookman, volume LIX, number 354, London: Hodder and Stoughton […], OCLC 781608980, page 220, column 2:

     At the ris of an anti-climax I will add that another mark of [Edward] Elgar's greatness is that he can do little things and do them well. He has "magnoperated" with the best, but like the other masters he has known how to unbend, and some of his music has become popular in the best sense. It is not given to many musicians to find a song of theirs become, as "Land of Hope and Glory" has, an accepted unofficial national anthem.

   • 1926, James Agate, “Not a Free Art”, in A Short View of the English Stage, 1900–1926, London: Herbert Jenkins […], OCLC 868541283, page 47:

     He [the historian] must not write of the theatre as though it were an art-form magnoperating in the void. He must not attempt to judge it as he would a free art trying to express itself in the best possible way and with everybody anxious to help.

   • 1934 September 2, James Agate, “Idle Thoughts of an Idle Critic”, in More First Nights, London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., published 1937, OCLC 1854197, page 36:

     Mr. Cochran magnoperated last night at the Palace, Manchester, and yesterday afternoon the dramatic critic of this paper minoperated at a horse-show in a field adjacent to Manchester.

   • 1948 August, C. L. R. Sastri, “Scholarship in Journalism”, in The Modern Review, volume LXXXXIV, number 2 (number 500 overall), Calcutta, West Bengal: Nibaran Chandra Das, Prabasi Press, ISSN 0026-8380, OCLC 924500563, section VII, page 138, column 1:

     [Charles Prestwich] Scott in the Manchester Guardian and [Henry William] Massingham in the Daily Chronicle (and, later, in the Nation) and [John Alfred] Spender in that "old sea-green incorruptible," the Westminster Gazette, and [Alfred George] Gardiner in the Daily News "magnoperated," in the late Mr. James Agate's beautiful phrase, as no "foursome" had ever been privileged to do.

   • 1953, Louis Kronenberger, editor, The Best Plays of 1952–1953 (The Burns Mantle Yearbook), New York, N.Y.; Toronto, Ont.: Dodd, Mead & Company, OCLC 876475174, page 38:

     […] Michael Redgrave and Peggy Ashcroft retired to Stratford-on-Avon, where they magnoperated in “The Merchant of Venice," "Antony and Cleopatra" and "King Lear"; […]

• magnoperation, magnoperator, magnoperous (apparently all hapax legomena)

From magnum opus +‎ -ate (suffix forming verbs with the sense ‘to act in the specified manner’), in this sense coined by the English poet Lord Byron (1788–1824): see the 1821 quotation.[1] Magnum opus is derived from Latin magnum opus, from magnum (the accusative neuter singular of magnus (“big, large; (figuratively) great, important”)) + opus (“accomplishment, work; work (of art, literature, etc.)”); see further at etymology 1.

magnoperate (third-person singular simple present magnoperates, present participle magnoperating, simple past and past participle magnoperated)

1. (intransitive, rare) To work on one's magnum opus (“great or important work of art, literature, or music, a masterpiece; best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an artist or author, representing their major life effort”).
   • 1821 June 22, Lord Byron, “Letter CCCCXXXV. To Mr. [Thomas] Moore.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, OCLC 629975661, page 493:

     Your dwarf of a letter came yesterday. That is right;—keep to your 'magnum opus'—magnoperate away.

   • 1922 June 10, “Dickens and Griffith of the Movies”, in The Literary Digest, volume LXXIII, number 11 (number 1677 overall), New York, N.Y.: Funk & Wagnalls Company, […], OCLC 906331574, pages 31–32, column 2:

     He [David Wark Griffith] magnoperates (to use a word of Byron's), he plans in the grand style, he lives for ideas; but he is perfectly modest about it. [Quoting The Times.]

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