minute

¹

[min-it]

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.

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.

minute

²

[mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi-]

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

minute

¹

/ 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

verb

1. to record in minutes

   to minute a meeting

2. to time in terms of minutes

minute

²

/ maɪˈnjuːt /

adjective

1. very small; diminutive; tiny

2. unimportant; petty

3. precise or detailed

   a minute examination

minute

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.

Other Word Forms

• unminuted adjective
• minuteness noun

Word History and Origins

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 minute²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of minute¹

C14: from Old French from Medieval Latin minūta, n. use of Latin minūtus _minute ²

Origin of minute²

C15: from Latin minūtus, past participle of minuere to diminish

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   The building design is up to the minute.

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

But the campaign group said fish were being left out of the water to suffocate for minutes at a time, with some beaten several times before they died.

Read more on BBC

Taking a beat—30 seconds, three minutes—lets the previous role make its exit, so the next one can make its entrance and steal the show.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

About 30 minutes later, hundreds of residents in two communes of Dak Lak province called for help, local media reported.

Read more on BBC

That’s in addition to simultaneously published minutes, as well as a press conference.

Read more on MarketWatch

The heist employed tools such as angle grinders to carve through an exterior window and display cases in an operation that spanned eight minutes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• infinitesimal 
• microscopic 
• minimal 
• minuscule 
• tiny