Maximize

Maximize

Verb · /ˈmæk.sɪ.maɪz/

Definition

To make as great or as large as possible; to increase to the greatest possible extent; in mathematics and computing, to find the maximum value of a function; (of a window or application) to enlarge to fill the available screen space.

Origin

From Latin maximus (greatest, superlative of magnus, great) + the English suffix -ize (indicating to make or become). The word follows the same formation as minimize, optimise, and similar verbs. The mathematical sense of maximisation — finding the maximum of a function — developed with calculus in the 17th century. The computing sense of maximising a window developed in the graphical user interface era of the 1980s.