4130 
If we let slip this opportuneful hour, 
Take leave of fortune. 
Middleton (and another), Mayor of (Jueenborough, iv. 3. 
adv. In an oppor- 
oppilative 
oppilative (op'i-la-tiv), a. [= F. opilatif = 
Sp. opilatiro = It. oppilativo; as ojipilate + 
-ire.'] Obstructive. Sherwood. 
oppletet (o-plef), a. _ 
plere, fill up, < ob, before, -r- pure, mi : se - either time ol , lace _ 
pfe*t*te.] lill' ed; cro wde< ' opportuneness (op-or-tun'nes), , 
oppleted (o-ple ted), a. |_\ oppiete i w.j ._M 
Same as oppiete. 
-' - [< oppfcte 
oppose 
4t. Character; liabit. ff<dliiri-l/. = &yn. i. Opportu- 
chance. An occasion falls in one's way, 
oppletiont (o-ple'shon), . 
Cf. completion.] 1. The act of filling up. 2. 
The state or condition of being filled or full ; 
,, opportunism (op-or-tu'nizm), n. [< 1 . oppor- 
tiinisme; as opportune + -ism.'] The princi- 
ples or practices of opportunists, in any sense 
of that word; quickness to grasp favorable 
pletion; fullness. 
Health of the body is not recovered without pain ; an 
imposthume calls fora lance, and oppletinn for unpalatable 
evacuatories. Gentleman Instructed, p. 309. (Dames.) 
opponet (o-p6V), *'. t. and j.; pret. and pp. op- 
l>oiif(l, ppr. opponing. [= Sp. 0poer=Pg. oppor 
= It. opporre, opponere, < L. npponere, set or 
place against, set before or opposite, < ob, be- 
fore, against, + ponere, put, set: see ponent. 
Ct. oppose."] To oppose; charge; allege. 
What can you not do 
Against Lords spiritual or temporal 
That shall oppone you ? 
B. Jonson, Alchemist, iii. 2. 
And thus I cease, requiring of all men that have any- 
thing to oppone against me that he may (they may] do it so 
plainly. 
nity. Occasion, chance. An occasion falls in one's way, 
whether desired or not : as, I had occasion Ui speak with 
him ; an opportunity is desired, yet conies naturally when 
it is obtained : as, I never got a good opportunity to ex- 
Slain the mistake. We flnd, take, seek occasion; we seek, 
esire, flnd, embrace an opportunity. 
The char- opportunoust (op-or-tu'nus), a. [< L. oppor- 
acter'of being opportune or seasonable. tunus, opportune : see opportune.'] Opportune ; 
" ~ favorable. 
IpwwSE-Ea^R* - 
etc.] Filled; crowded. 
The opportunous night friends her complexion. 
Heywood, Troia Britanica (1009). (Nares.) 
opportunities and to modify one's conduct or 
policy in accordance with them ; in a bad sense, 
the sacrifice of consistency and principles to or of the jaws. 
policy. opposable (o-po'za-bl), a. [< F. opposable, < op- 
Opportunism is becoming more and more a character- poser, oppose : see oppose and-</6te.] Capable of 
istic ol all classes of politicians. being so placed as to be or to act in opposition. 
Brit. Quarterly Rev., July, 1883, p. 84. jJJU ., possessing a hand with perfect opposable 
The spirit of opportunism is not confined to statesmen thumb. A. R. Wallace, Nat. Select., p. 138. 
enough 't^see* that" the wealthy^classes'wTinic^im^cl^for OppOSalt (o-po'zal), n. [< oppose + -al. Cf. dis- 
fear, and little for love of their poorer brethren. posal, proposal.] Opposition. 
Fortnightly Rev., N. S., XXXIX. 313. The cast]e gateg opene(lj fearless of any further opposal. 
Opportunist (op-or-tu'nist), n. and a. [< F. Sir T. Herbert, Travels, p. 81. 
oppor tuniste ; as opportune + -tst.] I. n. 1. oppose (o-poz'), t'.; pret. and pp. opposed, ppr. 
[cop.] In French politics, a member of that sec- 
tion of the Republican party which believes in 
opposing. [< ME. opposen, oposeii, aposen,\ OF. 
opposer, oposer. F. opposer, oppose, < L. ob-, be- 
, quoted in R. L. Stevenson's "John Knox and regulating political action in accordance with f ore , against, + Ml,. pansare (OF. poser), put ; 
i. I.. i ,. *.. 11 ........ " ('liv.11 1 1 1 wt 'I lll'tiw tin* IICH M V MfH'nn !1 T] c lll'llK'lli CM. + olrinir tlifl T\l'lrtG f\ I. /in n/ltJ/'-r/^ Tnn Ann/lJMBUJB 
[his Relations to Women. 
opponency (o-po'nen-si), n. [< opponen(1) + 
-cy.] The opening of an academical disputa- 
tion ; the proposition of objections to a tenet, 
as an exercise for a degree. Todd. 
opponens (o-po'nenz), n. ; pi. opponcntes (op-o- 
nen'tez). [NL. (sc. musculus), < L. opponens, 
ppr. of opponere, oppose: see opponent.'] In 
anat., an opponent muscle of the hand or foot 
of man and some anthropoid apes, lying on the 
inner or outer side of the hand or foot. 
circumstances, and not by dogmatic principles. 
This word first came into use in France about 1873. The 
taking the place of L. opponere, pp. opposltus, 
oppose : see oppone. Cf . appose, compose, de- 
Opportunists were the party of concession, and occupied ' ' i > ^nip^ 1 T trnnv 1 To set 
an intermediate position between the various groups of POM, etc., ana see pose .J 1 It 
hollow of the palm or sole.- Opponens hallucis, or op- 
ponens pollicls pedls, the opponent muscle of the great 
toe, frequently found in man. Opponens minimi di- 
git! Of the foot, an opponent muscle of the little toe, f re- 
quentlyfound in man. Opponens minimi digit! of the 
hand, or flexor ossisquintimetacarpi, the opponent muscle 
of the little finger. Opponens pollicls, or flexor ossis 
primi metacarpi, the opponent muscle of the thumb. 
opponent (o-po'nent), a. and . [= Pg. oppo- 
ente = It. opponente, < L. ojpponen(t-)s, ppr. of 
opponere, set before or against, oppose: see 
oppone, oppose.'] I. a. 1. Situated in front; op- 
posite ; standing in the way. 
Yon path . . . soon mounts the opponent hill. 
J. Scott, Winter Amusements. 
2. Opposing; antagonistic; adverse. 
Methinks they should laugh out, like two Fortune tellers, 
or two opponent Lawyers that know each other for Cheats. 
Steele, Grief A-la-Mode, v. 1. 
3. In anat., bringing together or into opposi- 
tion ; having the action of an opponens. See 
opponens. 
II. n. 1. One who opposes; an adversary; 
an antagonist ; one who supports the opposite 
side in controversy, disputation, or argument, opportunity (op-or-tu'ni-ti), . ; pi. opportuni- 
an intermediate position between the v: _ 
monarchists and the Intransigentists, the extreme section 
of the Republican party. Their leader was Gambetta. 
Although M. de Freycinet is himself an Opportunist, the 
new Ministry of which he is the head is essentially Radi- 
cal. Fortnightly Rev., N. S., XXXIX. 288. 
2. In general, one who takes advantage of 
opportunities as they occur; one who waits 
for an opportune time before attempting to 
the principles or beliefs which he holds; one 
who makes the best of circumstances as they 
arise ; hence, one who is without settled prin- 
ciples or consistent policy : opposed to extrem- 
ist. 
Mr. Mundella made a happy address before the confer- 
ence, in which he styled himself an opportunist in educa- 
tion : that is, a man who "has to do the best he can under 
the circumstances." Education, V. 112. 
Modern politicians are for the most part no longer men 
trained from their youth in the philosophy of government, 
but opportunists who view politics as a field for self-ad- 
vancement. N. A. Rev., CXLIII. 297. 
II. a. [cap.'] Of, pertaining to, or character- 
istic of the political party known as the Op- 
portunists ; hence [/. c.] , of or pertaining to op- 
portunism, or the observance of a waiting poli- 
cy; making the best of circumstances while 
waiting for a suitable time for the proper car- 
rying out of one's views. 
The socialists ol Austria chose from the first from con- 
viction a moderate and opportunist policy, and have al- 
ways been less revolutionary than the socialists of other 
countries. Rae, Contemporary Socialism, Int., p. 39. 
or in a contest of any kind. 
Two men, one of whom is a zealous supporter and the 
other a zealous opponent of the system pursued In Lan- 
caster's schools, meet at the Mendicity Society, and act 
together with the utmost cordiality. 
Macaulay, Gladstone on Church and State. 
2. One who takes part in an opponency; the 
person who begins a dispute by raising objec- 
tions to a tenet or doctrine : correlative to de- 
fendant or respondent. =Syn. 1. Adversary, Antago- 
nist, Opponent, etc. (see adversarit), rival, competitor, op- 
poser. 
opponentes, n. Plural of opponens. 
opportune (op-or-tun'), a. [< F. opportun = 
Sp. oportuno = Pg. It. opportuno, < L. opportu- 
nus, fit, meet, suitable, timely, < ob, before, + 
portus, harbor, port (access) : see ]>orfi. Cf . im- 
portune."] 1. Seasonable ; timely ; well-timed; 
convenient. 
Most opportune to our need I have 
A vessel rides fast by, but not prepared 
For this design. Shak., W. T., Iv. 4. 511. 
So placed, my Nurslings may requite 
Studious regard with opportune delight. 
Wordsworth, Sonnets, lit 39. 
2f. Conveniently exposed ; liable ; open. [Bare.] 
Behold alone 
The woman opportune to all attempts. 
Milton, P. L., ix. 481. 
opportune! (op-or-tun'), . t. [< opportune, a.] 
To suit; accommodate. 
The pronoun opportunes us ; some copies have vobis, 
but the most and best have nobis. 
Dr. Clarke, Sermons (1637), p. 483. (Latham.) 
opportunefult ( op-or-tun 'ful), a. [Irreg. < op- 
portune + -/?.] Opportune; timely. [Rare.] 
ties (-tiz). "[< F. opportunity = Sp. oportunidad 
= Pg. opportunidade = It. opportunita, < L. op- 
portunita(t-)s, fitness, suitableness, favorable 
time, < opportunns, fit, suitable: see opportune."] 
1. Fit, convenient, or seasonable time ; favor- 
able chance or occasion ; favorable or favoring 
conjuncture of circumstances : as, to avail one's 
self of the opportunity to do something ; to seize 
the opportunity. 
Euery thing hath his season, which Is called Oportunitte, 
and the vnfitnesse or vndecency of the time is called Im- 
portunitie. Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 223. 
If for want of power he be hindered from sinning, yet 
when he flndeth opportunity he will do evil. Ecclus. xix. 28. 
I came so late ... I had not the opportunity to see it. 
Coryat, Crudities, I. 137. 
Having opportunity of a pastor [that is, of securing a 
pastor], one Mr. James, who came over at this time, [they] 
were dismissed from the congregation of Boston. 
Winthrop, Hist. New England, 1. 112. 
2t. Convenience, fitness, or suitability for some 
particular purpose or set of circumstances. 
Not without Cawse is Epaminondas commended, who, 
riding or tourneying in time of peace, vsed oftentymes 
sodenly to appose his Company vpon the oportunity of 
any place, saying, "What yf our enemies were here or 
there, what were best to doe ? " 
Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), i. 3. 
And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of 
the live goat, . . . and shall send him away by the hand 
of a man of opportunity into the wilderness. 
Lev. rvt 21 (margin). 
3f. Importunity; earnestness. 
Seek my father's love ; still seek it, sir : 
If opportunity and humblest suit 
Cannot attain it, why, then hark you hither. 
Shak., M. W. of W., ill. 4. 20. 
or place over against or directly opposite ; con- 
front or cause to confront, either literally or by 
way of comparison, contrast, etc. 
Oppose thy steadfast-gazing eyes to mine ; 
See if thou canst outface me with thy looks. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iv. 10. 49. 
Then foot, and point, and eye opposed, 
In dubious strife they darkly closed. 
Scott, L. of the L., v. U, 
2f. To expose; show; display. 
Her grace sat down . . . 
In a rich chair of state, opposing freely 
The beauty of her person to the people. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., tv. 1. 68. 
3f. To propose ; offer. 
Let his true picture through your land be sent, 
Opposing great rewardes to him that flndes him. 
Chapman, Blind Beggar of Alexandria, L 1. 
4. To place or interpose as an obstacle ; place 
in opposition, as for the purpose of contradict- 
ing, countervailing, offsetting, or withstanding 
and defeating something. 
When they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he 
shook his raiment, and said unto them. Your blood be 
upon your own heads. Acts xviii. G. 
I do oppose 
My patience to his fury. 
SAot.,M. of V.,iv. 1. 11. 
Such destruction to withstand 
He hasted, and opposed the rocky orb 
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield. 
Milton, P. L., vi. 254. 
5. To speak or act against; confront with ad- 
verse arguments or efforts; contradict; with- 
stand ; endeavor to frustrate or thwart. 
Than he be-gan to telle a party of his lif, and than com 
forth Guynebaude, the clerke, and opposed hym of dyuerse 
thynges, for he was a profounde clerke. 
Merlin (E. E. T. 9.), ii. 139. 
Tho' the King may not be controuled where he can 
command, yet he may be opposed where he can but de- 
mand. Baker, Chronicles, p. 142. 
Expectation held 
His looks suspense, awaiting who appear'd 
To second or oppose, or undertake 
The perilous attempt : but all sat mute. 
Milton, P. L., ii. 419. 
6. To hinder; resist effectually; prevent; de- 
feat : as, the army was not able to oppose the 
enemy's progress. 
My lord, my lord, 
I am a simple woman, much too weak 
To oppose your cunning. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., ii. 4. 107. 
= Syn. Oppose, Resist, Withstand, combat, strive against, 
contravene. The first three words are all rather general, 
but oppose is not quite so strong as the others, as suggest- 
ing less of physical action ; they all primarily convey the 
idea of receiving rather than making the attack, but op- 
pose is least restricted to that meaning. See frustrate. 
II. intrans. 1 . To stand over against another 
or one another; be opposite. 
Of Pericles the careful search 
By the four opposing coigns 
Which the world together joins 
Is made with all due diligence. 
Shak., Pericles, iii., Prol., 1. 19. 
And track the yellow lights from steep to steep, 
As up the opposing hills they slowly creep. 
Wordsicorth, Descriptive Sketches. 
2. To interpose effort or objection; act or 
speak in opposition ; be adverse or act adverse- 
ly: sometimes with to or ttyainst. 
