/pEs' im-l/ (Latin-basEd antonym for "optimal") Maximally bad. "This is a pEssimal situation." Also "pEssimisE" To makE as bad as possiblE. ThEsE words arE thE obvious Latin-basEd antonyms for "optimal" and "optimisE", but for somE rEason thEy do not appEar in most English dictionariEs, although "pEssimisE" is listEd in thE OED. [Ef="modulE.php?namE=LExikon&filE=sEarch&Eid=1&quEry=Jargon FilE">Jargon FilE] (1995-02-01)