From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoptimumop‧ti‧mum /ˈɒptəməm $ ˈɑːp-/ ●○○ adjective [only before noun] BESTthe best or most suitable for a particular purpose or in a particular situation optimum conditions for growth This design makes the optimum use of the available space. —optimum noun [singular]
Examples from the Corpus
optimum• The absence of a crater is expected for an explosion at the optimum burst height.• Under optimum conditions, as many as 50 meteors per hour may be seen.• Likewise, on Mars carbon monoxide is easy to make but is not necessarily the optimum fuel.• We know exactly how to change their feed day by day to produce optimum growth.• Consumption of food relieves the discomfort and lowers his arousal level back towards its optimum level.• Thus maintenance can make an important contribution to containing machine running costs as well as ensuring optimum machine availability.• Here trials are used to establish the concentrations necessary to achieve optimum performance.• How do you know what the optimum setting for your modem is?• Winter squash needs plenty of moisture to reach the optimum size.• The optimum temperature for producing steel is around 1200C.From Longman Business Dictionaryoptimumop‧ti‧mum /ˈɒptəməmˈɑːp-/ adjective [only before a noun] the best that is possible, or the most suitableSYNoptimalThe optimum size for a bank may be much smaller than previously supposed.An early sale would allow the company to realize optimum value for its remaining assets.Origin optimum (1800-1900) Latin “best” 