mince
[ mins ]
/ mɪns /
verb (used with object), minced, minc·ing.
verb (used without object), minced, minc·ing.
to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps.
Archaic. to act or speak with affected elegance.
noun
something cut up very small; mincemeat.
Nearby words
Idioms
not mince words/matters, to speak directly and frankly; be blunt or outspoken: He was angry and didn't mince words.
Origin of mince
1350–1400; Middle English mincen < Middle French minc(i)er < Vulgar Latin *minūtiāre to mince; see minute2
Related formsminc·er, nounun·minced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for mincer
They have no interest in making the million take their literature after it has been passed through a mincer.
The Curse of Education|Harold E. GorstAfter being severed from the whale, the white-horse is first cut into portable oblongs ere going to the mincer.
Moby Dick; or The Whale|Herman MelvilleThe mincer now stands before you invested in the full canonicals of his calling.
Moby Dick; or The Whale|Herman Melville"I've helped to 'try out' one hundred and fifty bar'ls from one whale," said the mincer.
British Dictionary definitions for mincer (1 of 2)
mincer
/ (mɪnsə) /
noun
an appliance used to mince meat
British Dictionary definitions for mincer (2 of 2)
mince
/ (mɪns) /
verb
(tr) to chop, grind, or cut into very small pieces
(tr) to soften or moderate, esp for the sake of convention or politenessI didn't mince my words
(intr) to walk or speak in an affected dainty manner
noun
mainly British minced meat
informal nonsensical rubbish
Word Origin for mince
C14: from Old French mincier, from Vulgar Latin minūtiāre (unattested), from Late Latin minūtia smallness; see minutiae
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