minnow

[ min-oh ]

/ ˈmɪn oʊ /

noun, plural (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) min·nows, (especially collectively, Rare) min·now for 1–3.

a small, European cyprinoid fish, Phoxinus phoxinus.

any other fish of the family Cyprinidae, including the carps, goldfishes, and daces.

any of various unrelated, small fishes.

a person or thing that is comparatively small or insignificant.

Nearby words

Origin of minnow

1325–75; Middle English minwe, Old English *mynwe (feminine) for myne (masculine); cognate with Old High German munewa kind of fish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for minnow

"They are using a whale to catch a minnow," said defense attorney Charles Swift.
The Next U.S-Pakistan Headache|ProPublica|May 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
“They are using a whale to catch a minnow,” said defense attorney Charles Swift.
The Next U.S-Pakistan Headache|ProPublica|May 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When the tide comes in he comes close inshore and burrows down into the sand to wait till a minnow floats by.
Boy Scouts in Southern Waters|G. Harvey Ralphson
I have only fished myself three or four times, and I am confident I hooked a minnow yesterday.'
When a Man's Single|J. M. Barrie

On the other hand, with the horizontal cast the minnow is projected to the desired spot with very little disturbance.
Favorite Fish and Fishing|James Alexander Henshall
Near the beach, in shallow water, a boy of twelve and a girl of sixteen were struggling with a minnow net.
Green Eyes|Roy J. Snell
I've got a half a mile o' trout line, a minnow hook and a plate full o' vermicelli.
Mollie and the Unwiseman Abroad|John Kendrick Bangs

British Dictionary definitions for minnow

minnow

/ (ˈmɪnəʊ) /

noun plural -nows or -now

a small slender European freshwater cyprinid fish, Phoxinus phoxinus

any other small cyprinid

angling a spinning lure imitating a minnow

a small or insignificant person

Word Origin for minnow

C15: related to Old English myne minnow; compare Old High German muniwa fish

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 minnow

minnow

small freshwater fish, early 15c., probably related to Old English myne, earlier *mynwe, a name for some kind of fish, from Proto-Germanic *muniwon (cf. Middle Low German möne, Dutch meun, Old High German muniwa, German Münne), of unknown origin, perhaps from PIE *men- "small." Perhaps influenced in Middle English by French menu "small."