Optimal

How to spell optimal

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce optimal

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does optimal mean?

1. adjectiveBest or most favourable; producing the most desirable result under the circumstances.

Optimal in a sentence

• The engineers tuned the engine for optimal fuel efficiency.

• Morning is the optimal time to study before the office fills up.

Where does optimal come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin optimus, meaning 'best', the superlative form of bonus 'good'. Scientists of the nineteenth century coined 'optimal' as a technical adjective meaning 'best possible' or 'most favourable', building on optimus with the ordinary English ending -al. The same Latin root sits behind 'optimum', the noun for the best possible point or condition, and behind 'optimist', a person who expects the best outcome. The word spread from biology and mathematics into everyday business and engineering speech during the twentieth century. The spelling trap is the unstressed middle vowel: it sounds like a faint schwa, so writers hesitate over whether it is 'optimal', 'optimul', or 'optomal', when in fact the i of optimus is what belongs there.

How the word is built

• optim- (from optimus: best)
• -al (adjective suffix)