English
opulence
Opulence comes from Latin opulentia ‘wealth’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-1‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opis1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopulentus1‘wealthy’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopulentia2‘wealth’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentopulence2
- Englishearliest quotation 1721opulence2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin opulentia
- 2 Wiktionary, English opulence
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1721, John Gay, Goldſmith: “There in full Opulence a Banker dwelt, Who all…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-Wiktionary, Latin opulentia‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisWiktionary, Latin opulentiareconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopsWiktionary, Latin opulentia
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopulentusWiktionary, Latin opulentia‘wealthy’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopulentiaWiktionary, English opulence‘wealth’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentopulenceWiktionary, English opulence
- Englishearliest quotation 1721opulenceWiktionary, English opulence. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1721, John Gay, Goldſmith: “There in full Opulence a Banker dwelt, Who all…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’
bus, operation, operate, operator, opera, omnibus, oeuvre, opus, omnivore, 22 more
through Proto-Italic *opis
through Latin ops
office, official, copy, optimum, copious, officiate, officiant, officious, 11 more
Today it means
noun Wealth.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “opulence”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin opulentia. 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 *h₃ep- / opulence