Where does “opt out” come from?

opt out (English) comes from English out, from Middle English oute, from Old English ūt, from Proto-West Germanic *ūt, from Proto-Germanic ūt, from Proto-Indo-European úd — out, outward.

opt out (English): To choose not to participate in something

Definitions

  1. To choose not to participate in something

Ancestry of “opt out”, step by step

opt out traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English out

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoutAway from the inside, centre or other point of...
2Middle Englishouteout
3Old Englishūtout
4Proto-West Germanic*ūtout, outward
5Proto-Germanicūtout, outward
6Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward

via English opt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoptTo choose; select
2Frenchopterto opt
3Latinoptōto choose, select, prefer, opt
4Proto-Italic*opetāō—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd →Every word from Proto-Germanic ūt →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *ūt →