I. Taking great pains, painstaking, active, busy, industrious, laborious (class.; “syn.: laboriosus, industrius): senectus, opp. to languida atque iners,” Cic. Sen. 8, 26: “colonus,” Ov. Nuce, 57: “cultibus ambae,” id. Am. 2, 10, 5. —Poet. with Gr. acc.: “Cynthia non operosa comas (al. comis),” Prop. 5, 8, 52.—Poet. with gen.: “vates operose dierum,” in regard to, Ov. F. 1, 101.—Sup.: “Syria in hortis operosissima,” exceedingly industrious in gardening, Plin. 20, 5, 16, § 33.—
B. Transf., of a medicine, active, efficacious, powerful, drastic (poet.): “herbae,” Ov. M. 14, 22.—
II. That costs much trouble, troublesome, toilsome, laborious, difficult, elaborate (syn. difficilis): “labor operosus et molestus,” Cic. N. D. 2, 23, 59: “artes,” handicrafts, id. Off. 2, 5, 17: “opus,” id. Q. Fr. 2, 14, 1: “res,” Liv. 4, 8: “templa,” costly, sumptuous, Ov. M. 15, 667: “moles mundi,” the artfully constructed fabric of the universe, id. ib. 1, 258: “castaneae cibo,” hard to digest, Plin. 15, 23, 25, § 93: “carmina,” elaborate, Hor. C. 4, 2, 31.—Comp.: “ne quis sepulcrum faceret operosius, quam quod decem homines effecerint triduo,” Cic. Leg. 2, 26, 64: “divitiae operosiores,” Hor. C. 3, 1, 48; 3, 12, 5.—Hence, adv.: ŏpĕrōsē .
A. Lit., with great labor or pains, laboriously, carefully (class.): “nec flat operose,” Cic. Or. 44, 149: vina condita, Ov F. 5, 269.—Comp.: “dicemus operosius,” more precisely, Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 238.—
B. Transf., exactly, accurately (post-Aug.): “dicemus mox paulo operosius,” Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 238.
