optimum

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“
Like so often when describing extremes, the optimum is somewhere in the middle.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun The point at which the condition, degree, or amount of something is the most favorable.
  2. noun Biology The most favorable condition for growth and reproduction.
  3. adjective Most favorable or advantageous; best.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (38)

  • These criteria are often called the optimum currency area (OCA) criteria. —  Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en]
  • Uncoordinated individuals in human society pursuing their personally optimal strategies do not always achieve the social optimum, the most beneficial state to the society as a whole. —  Ars Technica
  • He tells the surprised looking Zach that the trans-star drives are optimum, and he'd tuned them himself. —  Pretty, Fizzy Paradise
  • Probably because a random walk is a local optimum, and all the other optima are a LONG way away. —  doggdot.us
  • "These data challenge the view that tropical vegetation lives near its climatic optimum, and it has profound implications in understanding the effect of current global warming on tropical plants," Jaramillo said. —  Rainforest Portal RSS Newsfeed
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

optimal ·  approximate ·  maximum ·  overall ·  preset ·  operate ·  nominal ·  operational ·  precise ·  acceptable ·  correspond ·  therapeutic
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Latin, neuter sing. of optimus, best; see op- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. New Latin, neuter of Latin optimus, optumus, best, very good, superlative (associated with bonus, good), from √ op in optare. choose: see optate.
 

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/ˈɑptɪməm/
by American Heritage

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