Etymograph

English

opinator

Opinator comes from Latin opīnor ‘to opine’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *op- ‘to prefer, choose’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*op-1‘to prefer, choose’uncertainearlier origin unknown
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopīnor2‘to opine’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopīnātor2
  4. Englishearliest quotation a. 1680opinator2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin opinor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English opinator
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1680, Joseph Glanvill: “it is that fond Opinators invest their beloved Congregation…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*op-Wiktionary, Latin opinor‘to prefer, choose’uncertainearlier origin unknown
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopīnorWiktionary, English opinator‘to opine’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopīnātorWiktionary, English opinator
  4. Englishearliest quotation a. 1680opinatorWiktionary, English opinator. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1680, Joseph Glanvill: “it is that fond Opinators invest their beloved Congregation…”

Linked words

through Latin opīnor ‘to opine’

opinion, opine

Today it means

noun An opinionated person, or someone who holds an opinion.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “opinator”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin opinor. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *op- / opinator

Shirt and support for this word