optime
Definition
- Noun:
- A high-ranking mathematics graduate at Cambridge University: "optime" historically refers to a student who achieved a high (but not the highest) level of distinction in the mathematical tripos examination at the University of Cambridge, specifically those placed in the second or third class of honours.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- He was proud to graduate as an optime, having secured a second-class degree in mathematics. (A student who obtained a high pass in the Cambridge mathematical tripos.)
- In the 19th century, being named an optime was a significant academic achievement. (A historical classification for Cambridge mathematics graduates.)
Advanced Usage
- Historical context: The term "optime" is rarely used in modern English outside of historical discussions of Cambridge University's examination system. It contrasts with "wrangler" (the highest class) and "senior optime" (the second-highest class).
- The senior optime was awarded to the top second-class candidates, while the junior optime was for the third class. (Distinguishing levels within the optime category.)
Variants and Related Words
Senior optime (n): a Cambridge mathematics graduate placed in the second class of honours.
- She was a senior optime, meaning she ranked just below the wranglers. (A specific subclass of optime.)
Junior optime (n): a Cambridge mathematics graduate placed in the third class of honours.
- He was a junior optime, the lowest of the honour classifications. (A specific subclass of optime.)
Synonyms
- Second-class honours: a degree classification equivalent to an optime in modern terms.
- Honours graduate: a general term for someone who passed with distinction.
Related Idioms
- "To be an optime": used metaphorically to mean someone who achieves a respectable but not top-tier result.
- In any competition, he was content to be an optime rather than a wrangler. (He accepted a middle-ranking outcome.)