opportunitas

Opportunitas is a Latin noun that denotes the favorable timing or suitability of a circumstance, or a chance to act. It expresses the sense of an opportune moment, a right or advantageous point at which action should be taken. The term derives from the Latin adjective opportunus, meaning favorable or advantageous, and is attested in classical Latin literature, as well as later medieval and early modern texts.

In ancient Rome, opportunitas was used in rhetoric, law, and ethical discussions to denote the timeliness and practicality of a course of action or argument. It carried the idea that good judgment depends on recognizing the right moment to speak, act, or decide, aligning circumstance with prudent choice. In scholastic philosophy, opportunitas figured in practical reasoning, where moral action was assessed not only by its end but by its fittingness within the given situation.

The linguistic legacy of opportunitas extends beyond Latin. It gave rise to the English word opportunity, via Old French opportunité, and has contemporary equivalents in many Romance languages: French opportunité, Spanish oportunidad, Italian opportunità, and Portuguese oportunidade. In modern usage, the concept is usually expressed with the English word opportunity, while opportunitas remains mainly a term of historical or philological interest.

Related ideas include opportune, describing something timely and suitable, and inopportunitas, the ill-timed or unfavourable opposite. Overall, opportunitas reflects a classical concern with timing, circumstance, and prudent action.