optim- +

A friend is the greatest treasure of life.

Motto of German Emperor Albrecht of Habsburg (1438-1439).

A Masterpiece, second to none, The best; Therefore, I am!

The grammatical structure is not correct: Magnus should be Magnum, secundus should be secundum and optimus should be optimum.

This was a hand-lettered sign in George E. Ohr's pottery shop (BILOLXI ART POTTERY) in Biloxi, Mississippi (1895-1905).

Ohr made pottery that featured rims that had been crumpled like the edges of a burlap bag and pitchers that seemed deliberately twisted and vases warped as if melted in the kiln.

The colors of his works exploded with color; vivid reds juxtaposed with gunmetal grays, olive greens splattered across bright oranges, and royal blues mottled on mustard yellows and he created fantastic shapes glazed with wild colors in his "Pot-Ohr-E".

Ohr once said, "I am the apostle of individuality, the brother of the human race, but I must be myself and I want every vase of mine to be itself."

In 1909, claiming he hadn't sold even one of his mud babies in more than 25 years, Ohr closed his shop.

Although he was just 52, he never threw another pot. When he inherited a comfortable sum after his parents died, he devoted the rest of his life to enhancing his reputation as a "looney".

Still confident that the time would come when his work would be recognized, Ohr died of throat cancer at the age of 60 in 1918. Now, the same pots scorned a century ago sell from $20,000 to $60,000 each. Today, Ohr is hailed as a "clay prophet" and "the Picasso of art pottery."

Nothing but the best.

1. The most desirable or favorable under existing conditions: "They waited for optimal weather conditions before taking off from the airport."
2. That which is most desirably possible under a restriction expressed or implied: "We expect an optimal return on our investment."
3. Producing or likely to produce the best result: "The couple and their doctor concluded that surgery was the optimal course to take under the circumstances."

The medical report stated that eight hours of sleep is optimal for most adults."

The use of limited resources; especially, energy and time, to best achieve certain objectives.

A control method in which a system's response to a commanded input is judged to be optimal (best) as related to a specific performance criterion, considering the dynamics of the process to be controlled and the limitions of the involved measurements.

According to neoclassical economic theory, the rate of extraction of a nonrenewable resource; such as coal, which is economically efficient over time.

In the field of immunology, the ratio to which antibodies and antigens are mixed in order to obtain the fastest and best reactions.

1. A theory designed to predict the foraging behavior of an animal that maximizes food intake per unit of time.
2. A theory stating that an animal's behavior in obtaining food consists of actions which will produce the maximum intake for the minimum effort; for example, large predators don't pursue small, highly elusive animals, because the energy loss from the chase would exceed any food intake that could be obtained by consuming such little creatures.
3. A theory that natural selection favors animals whose behavioral strategies maximize their net energy intake per unit of time spent foraging; including the time used in both searching for the prey and killing and eating it.

1. A reference to something which is done in a most desirable way.
2. A description of the best or most efficient way of doing coding in time, space, or code size.

1. The aristocracy of ancient Rome.
2. Literally, adherents of the best men.

1. The tendency to believe, to expect, or to hope that things will turn out well.
2. The attitude of a person who feels positive or confident about something or someone.
3. A cheerful habit of mind characterized by an inclination to believe that the uncertainties of the present will be resolved favorably.
4. The belief that things are continually getting better and that good will ultimately triumph over evil.
5. Etymology: from 1782, French optimisme (1737), from Modern Latin optimum, used by Leibnitz (in Théodicée, 1710) to mean "the greatest good", from Latin optimus, "the best".

1. A believer in optimism or that the best can and will take place.
2. Someone who tends to expect that good things will happen.
3. Somebody who tends to feel hopeful and positive about future outcomes.
4. A person who looks on the bright side of things, or takes hopeful views; as opposed to a pessimist.

1. Descriptive of a person who takes a hopeful and positive view of future outcomes.
2. A reference to someone who is convinced that the future will be the best and who tends to expect that very good things will happen.

A reference to someone who has a favorable view of events or conditions and who expects the most favorable outcomes: "He talked optimistically about the future of his children."