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minute1

[min-it]
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noun
  1. the sixtieth part (1/60) of an hour; sixty seconds.
  2. an indefinitely short space of time: Wait a minute!
  3. an exact point in time; instant; moment: Come here this minute!
  4. minutes, the official record of the proceedings at a meeting of a society, committee, or other group.
  5. Chiefly British. a written summary, note, or memorandum.
  6. a rough draft, as of a document.
  7. Geometry. the sixtieth part of a degree of angular measure, often represented by the sign ′, as in 12° 10′, which is read as 12 degrees and 10 minutes.Compare angle1(def 1c).
verb (used with object), min·ut·ed, min·ut·ing.
  1. to time exactly, as movements or speed.
  2. to make a draft of (a document or the like).
  3. to record in a memorandum; note down.
  4. to enter in the minutes of a meeting.
adjective
  1. prepared in a very short time: minute pudding.
Idioms
  1. up to the minute, modern; up-to-date: The building design is up to the minute.

Origin of minute1

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin minūta, noun use of feminine of minūtus minute2
Related formsun·min·ut·ed, adjective

Synonyms

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2. jiffy, second. Minute, instant, moment refer to small amounts of time. A minute, properly denoting 60 seconds, is often used loosely for any very short space of time (and may be interchangeable with second ): I'll be there in just a minute. An instant is practically a point in time, with no duration, though it is also used to mean a perceptible amount of time: not an instant's delay. Moment denotes much the same as instant, though with a somewhat greater sense of duration (but somewhat less than minute ): It will only take a moment.

minute2

[mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi-]
adjective, mi·nut·er, mi·nut·est.
  1. extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree: minute differences.
  2. of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.
  3. attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details: a minute examination.

Origin of minute2

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin minūtus (past participle of minuere to make smaller or fewer), equivalent to minū- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix. See minus, minor
Related formsmi·nute·ness, noun

Synonyms

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1. tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule. See little. 3. detailed, exact, precise.

Antonyms

1. large. 3. rough, general.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for minute

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He cries a minute, then forgets all about it, and grabs up something else to play with.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • Losing a million a minute, even in sleep, he thought, was disquieting.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • Nothing matters except that I've got this minute here with you.

  • And that minute he turned me from a scared kid into an outlaw—a killer.

  • Andy heard, for his ears were sharpened: "I thought for a minute—But it does look like him!"

British Dictionary definitions for minute

minute1

noun
  1. a period of time equal to 60 seconds; one sixtieth of an hour
  2. Also called: minute of arc a unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a degreeSymbol: ′
  3. any very short period of time; moment
  4. a short note or memorandum
  5. the distance that can be travelled in a minuteit's only two minutes away
  6. up to the minute (up-to-the-minute when prenominal) very latest or newest
verb (tr)
  1. to record in minutesto minute a meeting
  2. to time in terms of minutes
See also minutes

Word Origin

C14: from Old French from Medieval Latin minūta, n. use of Latin minūtus minute ²

minute2

adjective
  1. very small; diminutive; tiny
  2. unimportant; petty
  3. precise or detaileda minute examination
Derived Formsminuteness, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Latin minūtus, past participle of minuere to diminish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for minute

n.

"sixtieth part of an hour or degree," late 14c., from Old French minut (13c.) or directly from Medieval Latin minuta "minute, short note," from Latin minuta, noun use of fem. of minutus "small, minute" (see minute (adj.)). In Medieval Latin, pars minuta prima "first small part" was used by mathematician Ptolemy for one-sixtieth of a circle, later of an hour (next in order was secunda minuta, which became second (n.)). German Minute, Dutch minuut also are from French. Used vaguely for "short time" from late 14c. As a measure expressing distance (travel time) by 1886. Minute hand is attested from 1726.

adj.

early 15c., "chopped small," from Latin minutus "little, small, minute," past participle of minuere "to lessen, diminish" (see minus). Meaning "very small in size or degree" is attested from 1620s. Related: Minutely; minuteness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
minute in Science

minute

[mĭn′ĭt]
  1. A unit of time equal to 160 of an hour or 60 seconds.♦ A sidereal minute is 160 of a sidereal hour, and a mean solar minute is 160 of a mean solar hour. See more at sidereal time solar time.
  2. A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, that is equal to 160 of a degree or 60 seconds.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with minute

minute

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.