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opt

Etymology and origin of the English word opt

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1877
Borrowed from
French opter
Ultimate origin
Latin (optō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ɒpt/, US /ɑːpt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French opter (“to choose”),[2][3][4] from Latin optō (“to choose, desire”) (see option).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To choose or decide between alternatives: 1877 in the OED and Barnhart;[5][2] Merriam-Webster dates a sense to 1853.[4]

Semantic evolution

For its first few years it was used in English only in a French context.[3] An earlier English word for the same idea was optate, from the 1610s.[3] To opt out, to choose not to take part, is from 1922.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1610s – optate.[3]
  • 1853 – opt (Merriam-Webster).[4]
  • 1877 – to choose.[5][2]
  • 1922 – opt out.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To make a choice; to decide in favour of something: she opted for the train.
  2. To opt out: to choose not to take part.

Word family

  • opt out

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 c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Opt.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/opt. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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