English
optimity
Optimity comes from Latin optimitas, from bonus ‘the best’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos1‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos1
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonus2as optimus‘the best’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptimitas2
- Englishearliest quotation 1672optimity2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin bonus
- 2 Wiktionary, English optimity
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1672, Richard Burthogge: “having shewed what Optimity, or Transcendent goodness is[…]”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenosWiktionary, Latin bonus‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenosWiktionary, Latin bonus
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonusWiktionary, Latin bonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonusWiktionary, English optimityas optimus‘the best’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoptimitasWiktionary, English optimity
- Englishearliest quotation 1672optimityWiktionary, English optimity. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1672, Richard Burthogge: “having shewed what Optimity, or Transcendent goodness is[…]”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to fit’
down, town, tool, teen, dynamic, tow, dynasty, dun, dynamo, dynastic, tine, taw, beaucoup, beauteous, 92 more
through Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’
beautiful, beauty, rebellion, boo, beau, rebellious, bello, rebelling, benefice, bauble, 37 more
through Archaic Latin duenos
ben, beneficial, rebel, beneficiary, revel, bene, bellicose, 38 more
through Latin bonus ‘the best’
Today it means
noun The state of being best.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “optimity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin bonus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *dwenos / optimity