Micawber

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A character created by Charles Dickens, known for his optimism in the face of financial struggle
2. A literary figure symbolizing the belief that something will turn up despite hardships
3. A representation of resilience and hope amid life's uncertainties

Etymology: Mr. Micawber is one of the memorable figures in Charles Dickens's "David Copperfield" (1850), a debt-ridden gentleman who insists that something will turn up. Dickens gave him a name that sounds like a Scottish or Irish surname, starting with the "Mc" or "Mac" that marks "son of" in Gaelic names. The Gaelic prefix comes from Old Irish "macc", meaning "son" or "child". The ending is less clear: it may echo names such as Aubrey, and surnames like MacAubrey were in use around Dickens's time, so the name may be a regional variant of one of these. Dickens's invention proved so apt that the name outlived the novel as a common noun for an eternal optimist, someone who keeps expecting better times despite every sign to the contrary. Few fictional characters have given their names to a general type of person in this way, which is why the word still turns up in discussions of optimism and financial hardship.