opportune [LME] Since medieval times we have used opportune of something that has happened at a good or convenient time. Originally, though, the word was associated with a much more specific meaning. It comes from Latin opportunus, from ob- ‘in the direction of’ and portus ‘harbour’, referring to the favourable wind which brought ships into the harbour. Opportunity [LME] comes from the same root. The phrase opportunity knocks is used to mean that a chance of success might happen, often with the implication that every person has a chance to succeed. It was the title of a hugely popular TV talent show broadcast from the late 1950s to 1978, with a revival in the late 1980s.