Where does “opportunist” come from?
Opportunist comes from French opportuniste, which derives from Latin opportunus meaning "suitable" or "convenient," ultimately from ob- "toward" and portus "harbor" or "entrance."
opportunist (English): Someone who takes advantage of any opportunity to...
Definitions
- Someone who takes advantage of any opportunity to...
Ancestry of “opportunist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | opportuniste | opportunistic |
| 2 | French | opportun | opportune, timely; expedient; suitable |
| 3 | Latin | opportūnus | suitable |
| 4 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |