minion

[ min-yuhn ]
See synonyms for minion on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a servile follower or subordinate of a person in power.

  2. a favored or highly regarded person.

  1. a minor official.

  2. Printing. a 7-point type.

adjective
  1. dainty; elegant; trim; pretty.

Origin of minion

1
1490–1500; <Middle French mignon, for Old French mignot dainty < ?

Words that may be confused with minion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use minion in a sentence

  • But now the duke and the cardinal, who had none but their own minions about them, seemed to take pleasure in abasing her.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • The minions had not allowed him to be ignorant of what had passed, and he had heard the people cry, "Vive le roi!"

    Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere
  • He saw them clinging to the half frantic husband and father, when the minions of a wicked law tore him away from them for ever.

  • True, he had killed Selba, but certainly the Martian had minions—men who could carry on without him.

  • The minions of the rebel chief circled and swirled about their commander's ship in wild soundless salute.

British Dictionary definitions for minion

minion

/ (ˈmɪnjən) /


noun
  1. a favourite or dependant, esp a servile or fawning one

  2. a servile agent: the minister's minions

  1. a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 7 point

adjective
  1. dainty, pretty, or elegant

Origin of minion

1
C16: from French mignon, from Old French mignot, of Gaulish origin

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