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Definition of Panglossian - 3 dictionary results

Pan⋅gloss⋅i⋅an

  [pan-glos-ee-uhn, -glaw-see-, pang-]
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–adjective
characterized by or given to extreme optimism, esp. in the face of unrelieved hardship or adversity.
Origin:
1825–35; after Pangloss, an optimistic character in Voltaire's Candide; cf. Gk panglossía garrulousness, wordiness (see pan-, glosso-, -y 3 ); see -ian
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Pan·gloss·i·an   (pān-glŏs'ē-ən, -glôs'-, pāng-)   
adj.  Blindly or naively optimistic.

[After Pangloss, an optimist in Candide, a satire by Voltaire.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Panglossian 
"optimistic" (usually ironic or disparaging), 1831, from Fr. Panglosse, name of the philosopher and tutor in Voltaire's "Candide" (1758), from pan- (q.v.) + Gk. glossa, lit. "tongue" (see gloss).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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