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minikin

[min-i-kin]
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noun
  1. a person or object that is delicate, dainty, or diminutive.
  2. a printing type (about 3½ point).
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adjective
  1. delicate, dainty, or mincing.
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Origin of minikin

1535–45; < Middle Dutch minneken friend, lover, equivalent to minne love + -ken -kin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

diminutive, small, mini, dainty, insignificant, slight, teeny, miniature, microscopic, minuscule, puny, baby, pocket, Lilliputian, knee-high, little, toy, wee, petite, midget

Examples from the Web for minikin

Historical Examples

  • "Felt sure somehow that he'd take a liking to you," answered Minikin.

    Paul Kelver

    Jerome Klapka, AKA Jerome K. Jerome

  • "No one like you quiet fellows for going it when you do begin," commented Minikin.

    Paul Kelver

    Jerome Klapka, AKA Jerome K. Jerome

  • "Well, I should let her wait," replied Minikin, replacing his eye.

    Paul Kelver

    Jerome Klapka, AKA Jerome K. Jerome

  • I explained that I had already put Minikin in possession of all the facts.

    Paul Kelver

    Jerome Klapka, AKA Jerome K. Jerome

  • It is a very small bag, containing a yet smaller rolled-up housewife furnished with minikin needles and fine thread.

    Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters

    William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh

British Dictionary definitions for minikin

minikin

noun
  1. a small, dainty, or affected person or thing
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adjective
  1. dainty, prim, or affected
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Word Origin

C16: from Dutch minneken, diminutive of minne love
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