LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“opportunity” in Latin

The English word opportunity itself goes back to Latin ob, through opportūnitās.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

opportunity
opportunitas (the proper word, accidental circumstances of place and time favorable for the completion of an undertaking): occasio (point of time which unexpectedly and suddenly occurs or presents itself in our favor. ☞ Opportunitas is always at hand before we begin to act, for which reason we never read in the ancients of giving or presenting an opportunitas; occasio often first presents itself to us when we have begun to act, and then helps the action): casus (which accidentally offers itself; Vid: Cic., Att., 6, 1, 9; Sall., Jug., 25, 9, Fabri): potestas: facultas: copia (all three = opportunity in a subjective sense; i. e., the ability which one has to undertake or conduct anything; but with this difference, that potestas is the permission, power, etc., to do anything; facultas, the power of acting which one possesses; copia, means or materials at hand for accomplishing anything): aditus (PROP., an approach to a person or thing; then opportunity of conveying one’s self to or of reaching him; Vid: commentators ad Caes., B.G., 1, 43): ansa (PROP., a handle; figuratively, an opportunity afforded by anyone; in the phrase ansam dare, or praebere alicujus rei or ad aliquid. ☞ It is wrong to say that Cic. always adds tamquam to ansa in order to qualify the expression; he never does this; for in Lael., 16, 59, tamquam belongs to ad reprehendendum; Vid: Beier in loc.): causa (the reason which one has or finds for anything). ☞ All the foregoing substantives take the complement of a genitive, either of a substantive or of a gerund; but occasio, opportunitas, aditus, and ansa take also ad with a gerund or the future passive participle. A good, favorable opportunity, locus opportunus, loci opportunitas (in respect of place); opportunitas idonea, occasio commoda et idonea, occasio bona, temporis opportunitas, tempus opportunum, occasio, opportunitas, tempus (in respect of time; tempus is usually, but not always, followed by an infinitive): on an opportunity, per occasionem; occasione data or oblata; si occasio fuerit or tulerit: at every opportunity, omni occasione; quotiescumque potestas or occasio data est: on the first good opportunity, ut primum occasio or potestas data est (erit); primo quoque tempore dato; ubi primum opportunum (Sall., Jug., 62, init.): to wait for an opportunity, tempora sua opperiri: to seek an opportunity, occasionem quaerere, or circumspicere, or captare: to watch an opportunity, tempus or occasionem observare; tempori insidiari (Liv., 23, 35): to seek an opportunity for anything, aliquid quaerere (e.g., bellum): to find an opportunity for anything, alicujus rei or aliquid faciendi causam reperire (e.g., bellandi): to seize an opportunity, occasionem arripere; (very eagerly), occasionem avidissime amplecti; arripere facultatem aliquid faciendi, quaecumque detur: to make use or avail one’s self of an opportunity, opportunitate or occasione uti; opposed to occasioni deesse; occasionem amittere, praetermittere, dimittere: to give an opportunity to anybody, alicui occasionem dare, praebere; (for anything), alicujus rei or ad aliquid faciendum; casum alicujus rei, or alicujus rei faciendae praebere; alicui potestatem or facultatem, copiam dare alicujus rei; alicui ansam dare, or praebere alicujus rei, or ad aliquid faciendum (e.g., reprehensionis, or ad reprehendendum): to have an opportunity, occasionem or opportunitatem habere: have an opportunity of, potestas, or facultas or copia alicujus rei mihi data or facta est; aditum habeo alicujus rei or faciendi aliquid (e.g., si qui mihi erit aditus cum eo agendi).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for opportunity?
The usual Latin words for “opportunity” are opportūnitās, occāsiō, cāsus; also potestās, facultās, cōpia. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.