Oppius

Roman nomen gentile which was originally a praenomen; it is the latinized form of the Oscan praenomen Úppiis. Since Oscan is a language that has long been extinct and modern knowledge of its vocabulary is limited, it is uncertain what the meaning of the name was. Perhaps it might be related to Oscan úp, which is cognate to Latin apud or aput meaning "at, by, near, before, among, in the presence of". Another possibility is that it is related to the Oscan root úps, which is cognate to Latin opus meaning "work, labour, accomplishment". Also, see page 320 of "A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian: with a Collection of Inscriptions and a Glossary" by Carl Darling Buck and page 638 of "The Italic Dialects" by Robert Seymour Conway. Page 303 of "Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction" by Benjamin W. Fortson IV is also useful. A bearer of the name Oppius was Gaius Oppius, an intimate friend of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar (1st century BC).