Etymograph

English

opt

Opt comes from Latin optō ‘to choose’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptō1‘to choose’
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentopter1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1872opt1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English opt
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1872, Strasburg Germanised: “.... ardent anti-Germans who had 'opted' for France”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptōWiktionary, English opt‘to choose’
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentopterWiktionary, English opt
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1872optWiktionary, English opt. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1872, Strasburg Germanised: “.... ardent anti-Germans who had 'opted' for France”

first attested First attested in 1853 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

First attested in 1853; borrowed from French opter, from Latin optō (‘to choose; to select’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin optō ‘to choose’

option, 7 more

Today it means

verb To choose; select.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “opt”. 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 / Latin optō / opt

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