an item of equipment or a feature that may be chosen as an addition to or replacement for standard equipment and features: a car with a long list of extra-cost options; a telephoto lens option for a camera.
stock option.
a privilege acquired, as by the payment of a premium or consideration, of demanding, within a specified time, the carrying out of a transaction upon stipulated terms; the right, as granted in a contract or by an initial payment, of acquiring something in the future: We bought one lot and took a 90-day option on an adjoining one.
Football. a play in which a back has a choice of either passing or running with the ball.
verb (used with object)
to acquire or grant an option on: The studio has optioned his latest novel for film adaptation.
to provide with optional equipment: The car can be fully optioned at additional cost.
Origin of option
1595–1605; <Latin optiōn- (stem of optiō) choice, equivalent to op(tāre) to select (see opt) + -tiōn--tion
It would seem too much like a week-end experiment, without the option of parting when the week was ended.
The Kingdom Round the Corner|Coningsby Dawson
Option by a husband will cover his wife, and option by parents will cover their children under 18 years of age.
Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume XII|Various
Yet Clara realized that Morel was withdrawing from the circle, leaving her the option to stay with her husband.
Sons and Lovers|David Herbert Lawrence
British Dictionary definitions for option
option
/ (ˈɒpʃən) /
noun
the act or an instance of choosing or deciding
the power or liberty to choose
an exclusive opportunity, usually for a limited period, to buy something at a future datehe has a six-month option on the Canadian rights to this book
commercethe right to buy (call option) or sell (put option) a fixed quantity of a commodity, security, foreign exchange, etc, at a fixed price at a specified date in the futureSee also traded option
something chosen; choice
NZ short for local option
keep one's options openorleave one's options opennot to commit oneself
See soft option
verb
(tr)to obtain or grant an option on
Word Origin for option
C17: from Latin optiō free choice, from optāre to choose