Etymograph

English

option

Option comes from Latin optiō ‘choice’, and goes back to optō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptō‘to choose’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptiō‘choice’
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentoption
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1895same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptō‘to choose’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptiō‘choice’
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentoption
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1895same form

Earliest quotation: 1895, Roland Knyvet Wilson: “The marriage had not been contracted by the father,…”

Formed from opt + -ion

Latin optō ‘to choose’

French opter

English opt

Linked words

through Latin optō ‘to choose, select’

opt, 7 more

Today it means

noun One of a set of choices that can be made.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin optō / option

Shirt and support for this word