English
optimism
Optimism comes from French optimisme, from Latin bonus ‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *dwenos.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonusas optimus‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentoptimisme
- Englishearliest quotation 2021optimism
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonusas optimus‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentoptimisme
- Englishearliest quotation 2021optimism
Earliest quotation: 2021, Christina Newland, Is Tom Hanks part of a dying breed of genuine movie stars?: “Hanks is known as being an avid reader of…”
Formed from optimus + -ism
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to fit’
down, town, tool, teen, dynamic, dynasty, tow, dun, dynamo, dynastic, tine, taw, beaucoup, beauteous, 92 more
through Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’
beautiful, beauty, rebellion, boo, beau, rebellious, bello, rebelling, benefice, bauble, 37 more
through Archaic Latin duenos
ben, beneficial, rebel, beneficiary, revel, bene, bellicose, 38 more
through Latin bonus ‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
Today it means
noun A tendency to expect the best, or at least, a favourable outcome.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *dwenos / optimism