minuscule
Americanadjective
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very small.
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(of letters or writing) small; not capital.
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written in such letters (majuscule ).
noun
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a minuscule letter.
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a small cursive script developed in the 7th century a.d. from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.
noun
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a lower-case letter
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writing using such letters
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a small cursive 7th-century style of lettering derived from the uncial
adjective
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relating to, printed in, or written in small letters Compare majuscule
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very small
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(of letters) lower-case
Spelling
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
Etymology
Origin of minuscule
First recorded in 1695–1705; from Latin minusculus “smallish, pretty small, minor”; minus, -cule 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The battle is the latest chapter in a decadeslong contest among secretive ultrafast trading firms, which have pursued a relentless quest for minuscule speed advantages.
Though its circulation was as minuscule as its name suggests, it wielded outsize influence on Modernist writing.
From Los Angeles Times
It sounds terrifying, but the odds of the average person encountering that kind of radiation are minuscule.
From Literature
“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.”
The government will keep its spending at a minuscule 2% to allow for increased social spending.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
