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Webster 1913 Edition


Option

Op′tion

,
Noun.
[L.
optio
; akin to
optare
to choose, wish,
optimus
best, and perh. to E.
apt
: cf. F.
option
.]
1.
The power of choosing; the right of choice or election; an alternative.
There is an
option
left to the United States of America, whether they will be respectable and prosperous, or contemptible and miserable, as a nation.
Washington.
2.
The exercise of the power of choice; choice.
Transplantation must proceed from the
option
of the people, else it sounds like an exile.
Bacon.
3.
A wishing; a wish.
[Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
4.
(Ch. of Eng.)
A right formerly belonging to an archbishop to select any one dignity or benefice in the gift of a suffragan bishop consecrated or confirmed by him, for bestowal by himself when next vacant; – annulled by Parliament in 1845.
Buyer’s option
,
an option allowed to one who contracts to buy stocks at a certain future date and at a certain price, to demand the delivery of the stock (giving one day's notice) at any previous time at the market price.
Seller's option
,
an option allowed to one who contracts to deliver stock art a certain price on a certain future date, to deliver it (giving one day's notice) at any previous time at the market price. Such options are privileges for which a consideration is paid.
Local option
.
See under
Local
.
Syn. – Choice; preference; selection.
Option
,
Choice
. Choice is an act of choosing; option often means liberty to choose, and implies freedom from constraint in the act of choosing.

Webster 1828 Edition


Option

OP'TION

,
Noun.
[L. optio, from opto, to wish or desire.]
1.
The power of choosing; the right of choice or election; as the archbishop's option in collating to a vacant benefice.
There is an option left to the United States of America, whether they will be respectable and prosperous, or contemptible and miserable, as a nation.
2.
The power of wishing; wish.
3.
Choice; election; preference. He ought not to complain of his lot; it was his own option. We leave this to your own option.

Definition 2024


Option

Option

See also: option

German

Noun

Option f (genitive Option, plural Optionen)

  1. (general or finance) option

Declension

Derived terms

  • Optionsanleihe
  • Optionsgeschäft
  • Optionsrecht

option

option

See also: Option

English

Noun

option (plural options)

  1. One of the choices which can be made. [from the 19th c]
    • 2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:
      Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot.
    • 2012 January 1, Steven Sloman, “The Battle Between Intuition and Deliberation”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 74:
      Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make choices that are more consistent with what our more deliberative selves would have chosen if they were in control.
  2. The freedom or right to choose.
  3. (finance, law) A contract giving the holder the right to buy or sell an asset at a set strike price; can apply to financial market transactions, or to ordinary transactions for tangible assets such as a residence or automobile. [from the mid-18th c]
  4. (graphical user interface) A button on a screen used to select an action (often "menu option")

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

option (third-person singular simple present options, present participle optioning, simple past and past participle optioned)

  1. To purchase an option on something. [from the 20th c]
    The new novel was optioned by the film studio, but they'll probably never decide to make a movie from it.

Anagrams


Finnish

Noun

option

  1. Genitive singular form of optio.

French

Etymology

From Latin optiō (choice; option; act of choosing), from optō (I choose, select).

Noun

option f (plural options)

  1. option