Etymology

operation

op·e·ra·tion
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Today it means: The method by which a device performs its function. Full definition →

Middle English operacioun ← Old French operacion ← Latin operātiō
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ep-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₃épos
  3. Proto-Italic*opos
  4. Latinopus
  5. Latinopera
  6. Latinoperātusbf.
  7. Latinoperor
  8. Latinoperātiō
  9. Old Frenchoperacion
  10. Middle Englishoperacioun
  11. English todayoperation

From Middle English operacioun, from Old French operacion, from Latin operātiō, from the verb operor (“to work”), from opus, operis (“work”). Equivalent to operate + -ion.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.