optimum

[ op-tuh-muhm ]

noun

, plural op·ti·ma [op, -t, uh, -m, uh], op·ti·mums.

1. the best or most favorable point, degree, amount, etc., as of temperature, light, and moisture for the growth or reproduction of an organism.
2. the greatest degree or best result obtained or obtainable under specific conditions.

adjective

1. most favorable or desirable; best:

   optimum conditions.

   Synonyms: optimal, perfect, ideal

optimum

/ ˈɒptɪməm /

noun

1. a condition, degree, amount or compromise that produces the best possible result

adjective

1. most favourable or advantageous; best

   optimum conditions

Word History and Origins

Origin of optimum¹

First recorded in 1875–80; from Latin: noun use of neuter of optimus “best,” superlative of bonus “good”

Word History and Origins

Origin of optimum¹

C19: from Latin: the best (thing), from optimus best; see optimism

Example Sentences

But it was the Sierra Club, influenced by its first executive director, David Brower, that emerged as a leading proponent of the notion that the earth had a carrying capacity — that there was an optimum number for the planet’s population to be held at.

From Salon

Trying to figure out the optimum rate of spending this money is obviously tricky.

From Los Angeles Times

From an employee perspective, the optimum time for hybrid working is three days in the office – this makes employees most engaged, according to a Gallup survey of US workers, although it also says there is “no one-size-fits-all”.

From BBC

The earliest caviomorphs, which arrived during the Mid-Eocene Climatic Optimum, a period of elevated temperatures, were tiny, but Martinelli remarks there’s evidence of other extinct giant rodents in the fossil record.

From Salon

So depending on your point of view, it’s either an optimum or a risky time to make fundamental change.

From BBC