Pangloss
PRONUNCIATION:
(PAN-glos)
MEANING:
noun: One who is optimistic regardless of the circumstances.
adjective: Blindly or unreasonably optimistic.
adjective: Blindly or unreasonably optimistic.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Dr. Pangloss, a philosopher and tutor in Voltaire's 1759 satire
Candide. Pangloss believes that, in spite of what happens -- shipwreck,
earthquake, hanging, flogging, and more -- "All is for the best in the
best of all possible worlds." The name is coined from Greek panglossia
(talkativeness). Earliest documented use: 1794.
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