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Optimist

[op-tuh-mist]   Origin

op·ti·mist

   [op-tuh-mist]
noun
1.
an optimistic person.
2.
a person who holds the belief or the doctrine of optimism.
Origin:
1760–70; < French optimiste < Latin optim(um) (see optimum) + French -iste -ist

Related forms
an·ti·op·ti·mist, noun, adjective
o·ver·op·ti·mist, noun
su·per·op·ti·mist, noun

Can be confused: cynic, optimist, pessimist, skeptic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Optimist is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
optimism (ˈɒptɪˌmɪzəm)
 
—n
1.  the tendency to expect the best and see the best in all things
2.  hopefulness; confidence
3.  the doctrine of the ultimate triumph of good over evil
4.  the philosophical doctrine that this is the best of all possible worlds
 
[C18: from French optimisme, from Latin optimus best, superlative of bonus good]
 
'optimist
 
—n
 
opti'mistic
 
—adj
 
opti'mistical
 
—adj
 
opti'mistically
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

optimist
1766, from Fr. optimiste (see optimism).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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