Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “opulence” come from?

Opulence comes from French opulence, derived from Latin opulentia, a noun formation using the suffix -ia added to Latin ops meaning "wealth" or "resources," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃ep-.

opulence (English): wealth; abundance, bounty, profusion;...

Definitions

  1. wealth; abundance, bounty, profusion;...

Ancestry of “opulence”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchopulenceopulence
2Latinopulentiawealth, opulence
3Latinopulentuswealthy, rich; opulent
4LatinOpsearth goddess, fertility deity
5Latinoscenany bird by whose song cries augurs divined...
6Latinopscen—
7Latinob-towards; against
8Latinobolusobolus
9Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
10Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
11Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
12Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
13Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →