Option

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɒpʃən/

Definitions

1. A choice or alternative that is available among several possibilities
2. A possibility or choice that can be selected from among various alternatives
3. An available selection among different choices or alternatives that one can opt for

Etymology: The English noun "option" arrived by way of French, where it was "option," itself taken from Latin "optiō," meaning "choice" or "act of choosing." That Latin noun grew from the verb "optō," "to choose or select," so the word has always carried the idea of picking something from a set. Its family tree is simple: "opt" is the English verb that comes straight from the same Latin root, and "-ion" is the suffix that turns the verb into a noun naming the act or result. The concept of choosing is written into the word's structure. A Latin "optiō" was the act of selecting, and English gradually narrowed that to the thing selected, the alternative placed in front of you. The modern sense, a selection among possibilities that someone may take up, is a direct continuation of that original meaning of choice, with the emphasis moved from the act of picking to the range of things on offer.

Synonyms: choice, selection, alternative, preference, possibility

Antonyms: necessity, obligation, requirement, compulsion, duty