minute

¹ American  

[min-it] / ˈmɪn ɪt /

noun

1. the sixtieth part (1/60) of an hour; sixty seconds.

2. an indefinitely short space of time.

   Wait a minute!

   Synonyms:

   second, jiffy

3. an exact point in time; instant; moment.

   Come here this minute!

4. minutes, the official record of the proceedings at a meeting of a society, committee, or other group.

5. Chiefly British. a written summary, note, or memorandum.

6. a rough draft, as of a document.

7. Geometry. the sixtieth part of a degree of angular measure, often represented by the sign ′, as in 12° 10′, which is read as 12 degrees and 10 minutes.

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verb (used with object)

minuted, minuting

1. to time exactly, as movements or speed.

2. to make a draft of (a document or the like).

3. to record in a memorandum; note down.

4. to enter in the minutes of a meeting.

adjective

1. prepared in a very short time.

   minute pudding.

idioms

1. up to the minute, modern; up-to-date.

   The building design is up to the minute.

minute ² American  

[mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi-] / maɪˈnut, -ˈnyut, mɪ- /

adjective

minuter, minutest

1. extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree.

   minute differences.

   Synonyms:

   minuscule, infinitesimal, tiny

   Antonyms:

   large

2. of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.

3. attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details.

   a minute examination.

   Synonyms:

   precise, exact, detailed

   Antonyms:

   general, rough

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minute ¹ British  

/ ˈmɪnɪt /

noun

1. a period of time equal to 60 seconds; one sixtieth of an hour

2. Also called: minute of arc.   ′.  a unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a degree

3. any very short period of time; moment

4. a short note or memorandum

5. the distance that can be travelled in a minute

   it's only two minutes away

6. (up-to-the-minute when prenominal) very latest or newest

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verb

1. to record in minutes

   to minute a meeting

2. to time in terms of minutes

minute ² British  

/ maɪˈnjuːt /

adjective

1. very small; diminutive; tiny

2. unimportant; petty

3. precise or detailed

   a minute examination

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minute Scientific  

/ mĭn′ĭt /

1. A unit of time equal to 1/60 of an hour or 60 seconds.

2. ◆ A sidereal minute is 1/60 of a sidereal hour, and a mean solar minute is 1/60 of a mean solar hour.

3. See more at sidereal time solar time

4. A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, that is equal to 1/60 of a degree or 60 seconds.

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minute More Idioms  

1. see at the last minute; every minute counts; just a minute; mile a minute; wait a minute.

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Related Words

Minute, instant, moment refer to small amounts of time. A minute, properly denoting 60 seconds, is often used loosely for any very short space of time (and may be interchangeable with second ): I'll be there in just a minute. An instant is practically a point in time, with no duration, though it is also used to mean a perceptible amount of time: not an instant's delay. Moment denotes much the same as instant, though with a somewhat greater sense of duration (but somewhat less than minute ): It will only take a moment.

See little.

Other Word Forms

• minuteness noun
• unminuted adjective

Etymology

Origin of minute¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Medieval Latin minūta, noun use of feminine of minūtus minute ²

Origin of minute¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin minūtus (past participle of minuere “to make smaller or fewer”), equivalent to minū- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix; minus, minor

Example Sentences

Then Jimmy introduces him and Josh jumps out of his chair and he goes out and does a whole stand-up routine for seven minutes.

From Los Angeles Times

Just minutes before our interview, a hotel staffer came by to shake JOP’s hand, as if the two had known each other for years.

From Los Angeles Times

This is, of course, a regular feature of mysteries or else they’d all be over in five minutes, but there is an especially high level of mistakenness and misdirection here.

From Los Angeles Times

From there, she was essentially unable to do anything for a week, only able to manage light activity for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time before needing to rest.

From Salon

Esan was arrested near his home in Rochester about 25 minutes after the attack.

From BBC

Related Words

• infinitesimal
• microscopic
• minimal
• minuscule
• tiny