Optimise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To improve something to work as efficiently or effectively as it can
2. To adjust or change something so it achieves the best possible result
3. To enhance or fine-tune a system or process to perform at its highest potential

Etymology: Most people assume "optimise" grew out of a Latin word meaning "best," and the Latin "optimus" does sit somewhere behind it. But the English verb has a more roundabout ancestry. It was not built directly from "optimus." Instead, it was formed backwards from "optimist," the noun, which had already been borrowed into English from French and entered the language through the idea of believing in the best. The noun "optimist" came from French "optimiste," which in turn was shaped on the Latin "optimus" with the suffix "-iste," meaning one who holds a particular belief or practice. Once English speakers had "optimist" in hand, they treated the ending as if it were a suffix to be removed. Stripping away "-ist" left a stem that looked like a verb, so "optimize" appeared as a back-formation. English then adopted the British spelling "optimise" alongside it. The verb is first recorded in 1844, so it is a relatively recent coinage compared with the noun. It reached the sense of improving something to perform at its best by way of the everyday meaning of "optimal" and the older idea of striving for the best outcome.

Synonyms: enhance, improve, refine, maximize, perfect

Antonyms: deteriorate, worsen, impair, neglect, decrease