Etymograph

English

optative

Optative comes from Late Latin optātīvus, from Latin optō ‘to wish’, and ultimately from optātus ‘wished for, desired, pleasant, having been…’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptātus1‘wished for, desired, pleasant, having been desired’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptō1‘to wish’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEoptātīvus2
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600optatif2
  5. Englishearliest quotation a. 1662optative2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin optativus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English optative
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1662, Thomas Fuller, The History of the Worthies of England: “an optative blessing”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptātusWiktionary, Latin optativus‘wished for, desired, pleasant, having been desired’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptōWiktionary, Latin optativus‘to wish’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEoptātīvusWiktionary, English optative
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600optatifWiktionary, English optative
  5. Englishearliest quotation a. 1662optativeWiktionary, English optative. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1662, Thomas Fuller, The History of the Worthies of England: “an optative blessing”

Linked words

through Latin optō ‘to wish’

option, opt, 6 more

Today it means

adj Expressing a wish or a choice.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “optative”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin optativus. 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 optātus / optative

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