minuscule

[min-uh-skyool, mi-nuhs-kyool]

adjective

1. very small.

2. (of letters or writing) small; not capital.

3. written in such letters (majuscule ).

noun

1. a minuscule letter.

2. a small cursive script developed in the 7th century a.d. from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.

minuscule

/ mɪˈnʌskjʊlə, ˈmɪnəˌskjuːl /

noun

1. a lower-case letter

2. writing using such letters

3. a small cursive 7th-century style of lettering derived from the uncial

adjective

1. relating to, printed in, or written in small letters Compare majuscule

2. very small

3. (of letters) lower-case

Spelling Note

Minuscule, from Latin minus meaning “less,” has frequently come to be spelled miniscule, perhaps under the influence of the prefix mini- in the sense “of a small size.” Although this newer spelling is criticized by many, it occurs with such frequency in edited writing that some consider it a variant spelling rather than a misspelling.

Other Word Forms

• minuscular adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of minuscule¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; from Latin minusculus “smallish, pretty small, minor”; minus, -cule ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of minuscule¹

C18: from French, from Latin ( littera ) minuscula very small (letter), diminutive of _minor

Example Sentences

It sounds terrifying, but the odds of the average person encountering that kind of radiation are minuscule.

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“The chance that a kid will get a concept in front of the inventor relations person and that the inventor relations person says yes is minuscule, tiny, infinitesimal.”

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The government will keep its spending at a minuscule 2% to allow for increased social spending.

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But Stuart Hoddinott, an associate director at the Institute for Government think tank, believes that the savings Reform have identified so far are "minuscule" in comparison to the financial challenge facing the sector.

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It was a minuscule problem compared to what England were going through.

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Related Words

• insignificant 
• microscopic 
• small 
• tiny