Legal Definitions - opus manufactum

Definition: Opus manufactum (oh-puh s man-yuh-fak-tuhm) is a Latin term used in civil law to refer to an artifact or an artificial work, as opposed to something that is natural. The plural form of the term is opera manufacta.

• A car is an example of an opus manufactum because it is a man-made object.
• A painting is also an opus manufactum because it is a work of art created by a human.
• On the other hand, a tree or a rock is not an opus manufactum because it is a natural object that was not created by humans.

These examples illustrate the definition of opus manufactum by showing that it refers to things that are made by humans, rather than things that occur naturally. The term is often used in legal contexts to distinguish between natural objects and man-made objects, which can have different legal implications.