Dictionary.com

minuscule

[ min-uh-skyool, mi-nuhs-kyool ]
/ ˈmɪn əˌskyul, mɪˈnʌs kyul /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: minuscule / minuscules / minuscular on Thesaurus.com

adjective
very small.
(of letters or writing) small; not capital.
written in such letters (opposed to majuscule).
noun
a minuscule letter.
a small cursive script developed in the 7th century a.d. from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of minuscule

First recorded in 1695–1705; from Latin minusculus “smallish, pretty small, minor”; see minus, -cule1

usage note for minuscule

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 WORDS FROM minuscule

mi·nus·cu·lar, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH minuscule

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

How to use minuscule in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for minuscule

minuscule
/ (ˈmɪnəˌskjuːl) /

noun
a lower-case letter
writing using such letters
a small cursive 7th-century style of lettering derived from the uncial
adjective
relating to, printed in, or written in small lettersCompare majuscule
very small
(of letters) lower-case

Derived forms of minuscule

minuscular (mɪˈnʌskjʊlə), adjective

Word Origin for minuscule

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