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): Of a selection, the property of having to choose...

Definitions

  1. Of a selection, the property of having to choose...

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 →