Sanguines

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term denoting individuals with a temperament characterized by optimism and cheerfulness
2. Referring to those who exhibit a lively and sociable persona, often displaying an affinity for enthusiasm
3. Describing a disposition that emphasizes a buoyant outlook on life, typically associated with a positive attitude

Etymology: The cheerful sense of "sanguine" comes from an old theory of the body rather than from any modern notion of mood. Ancient Hippocratic and later Galenic medicine held that health depended on four bodily fluids, or humours, and blood was the one linked to cheerfulness, optimism, confidence and liveliness. A person with plenty of blood was thought to be cheerful, so "sanguine" came to describe a temperament of that kind. The word itself reaches English through Middle English "sanguine" from Old French "sanguin", which descends from Latin "sanguineus", meaning "of blood". That Latin adjective is built from "sanguis", "blood", with added suffixes. The root of "sanguis" is of uncertain origin, though it is probably related to the Proto-Indo-European word for blood. "Sanguines" is simply the plural of this adjective-turned-noun, used for people who share that blood-driven cheerfulness. The same Latin root also gives English "sanguineous", a close doublet that kept the plain meaning of "bloody" or "blood-related".