Etymologically
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opportunity

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:30. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌɒp.əˈtʃuː.nə.ti/, /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nə.ti/, US /ˌɑː.pɚˈtuː.nə.t̬i/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English opportunite,[2][3] borrowed from Old French opportunite,[3][4] and directly borrowed from Latin opportūnitās (“fitness, convenience, favorable time”),[3][2] from opportūnus (“fit, convenient, favorable”),[3][4] the source of opportune, from the phrase ob portum veniens “coming toward a harbor”, said of the wind,[3] from ob “toward” and portus “harbor”, the source of port.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fitness, aptitude: about 1374, a sense now obsolete;[5] a time or condition favorable for a purpose, “fit, convenient or seasonable time”, is from 1375,[5] the late 14th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

The quality of being opportune, timeliness, is from 1531,[5] and an advantageous site or position from 1555.[5] Johnson (1755) defined it as “fit place; time; convenience; suitableness of circumstances to any end”.[6] Equality of opportunity is from 1891.[5] Opportunity cost in economics is attested from 1911,[3][5] and the saying opportunity knocks but once from 1898.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1374 – fitness, aptitude.[5]
  • 1375 – a favorable time or condition.[5]
  • 1531 – timeliness.[5]
  • 1891 – equality of opportunity.[5]
  • 1898 – opportunity knocks but once.[3]
  • 1911 – opportunity cost.[3][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A favorable time or set of circumstances for doing something; a chance.
  2. A chance for progress or advancement, as in a job.

Word family

  • land of opportunity
  • equal opportunity
  • opportunity cost
  • photo opportunity
  • opportune
  • opportunism
  • opportunist
  • opportunistic
  • importune
  • port
  • portal

Usage notes

Opportunity is a favorable state of affairs or suitable time;[7] an occasion is a time suited to a particular purpose, an opening an opportunity that offers a good chance of success, and a break a stroke of luck.[7] In northern English slang of Grose's time, of strange opportunity meant “whimsical”.[8]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)