optional
/ˈɒpʃənəl/AHP-shuh-nuhl
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked/ˈɑpʃənəl/AHP-shuh-nuhl
Meaningrelating to choice
Common meaning: left to choice
Tap a word part to explore
- optto choose, wishLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1273 · scan
- ionnoun ending: act or result
- aladjective ending: relating to
Journey through time
- Latinoptō‘to choose, wish’
- Frenchoption
- Englishoption‘a choice’
- Englishformed in English from optionoptional‘left to choice’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from option + -al.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), OPTION, p.405 · scan
Roots
- optō Latin “to choose, wish”
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