English
opifice
Opifice comes from Latin opificium ‘work’, from opifex ‘workman’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops‘resources, wealth’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEopifex‘workman’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEopificium‘work’
- Englishearliest quotation 1635opifice
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops‘resources, wealth’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEopifex‘workman’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEopificium‘work’
- Englishearliest quotation 1635opifice
Earliest quotation: 1635, Henry Gellibrand: “not able rightly to conceive of this admirable opifice…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’
bus, operation, operate, operator, opera, omnibus, opus, oeuvre, omnivore, 21 more
through Latin ops ‘resources, wealth’
official, copy, officer, optimum, opulent, copious, opulence, officiate, officiant, officious, 8 more
through Latin opificium ‘work’
Today it means
noun workmanship
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- / opifice