English word origin

Etymology of opine

Borrowed from Middle French opiner, from Latin opīnor (“to hold as an opinion”), from *opīnus (“thinking, expecting”), only in negative nec-opīnus (“not expecting”) and in-opīnus (“not expected”); akin to optō (“to choos

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To express an opinion; to state as an opinion; to suppose, consider (that). · To give one's formal opinion (on or upon something). · To suppose, consider as correct, or entertain, an opinion.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionopinerfrm
Derivation mentionopīnorla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    [
      "opīnor",
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Latin/opinus"
    ],
    [
      "nec-opīnus",
      "necopinus#Latin"
    ],
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      "in-opīnus",
      "inopinus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "optō",
      "opto#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "apīscor",
      "apiscor#Latin"
    ],
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      "optate",
      "optate#English"
    ],
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      "opt",
      "opt#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Any of a class of organic compounds, derived from amino acids, found in some plant galls.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀπός (opós, “juice of a plant”) + -ine.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionὀπόςgrc

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for opine →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-b3BpbmU