minute

[ min-it ]

See synonyms for: minute minuted minutest minutes on Thesaurus.com

noun

the sixtieth part (1/60) of an hour; sixty seconds.
an indefinitely short space of time: Wait a minute!

an exact point in time; instant; moment: Come here this minute!
minutes, the official record of the proceedings at a meeting of a society, committee, or other group.
Chiefly British. a written summary, note, or memorandum.
a rough draft, as of a document.
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.: Compare angle¹ (def. 1c).

verb (used with object),min·ut·ed, min·ut·ing.

to time exactly, as movements or speed.
to make a draft of (a document or the like).

to record in a memorandum; note down.
to enter in the minutes of a meeting.

adjective

prepared in a very short time: minute pudding.

Idioms about minute

up to the minute, modern; up-to-date: The building design is up to the minute.

Origin of minute

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Medieval Latin minūta, noun use of feminine of minūtus minute²

synonym study For minute

2. 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.

Other words for minute

2	jiffy, second

See synonyms for minute on Thesaurus.com

Other words from minute

un·min·ut·ed, adjective

Other definitions for minute (2 of 2)

minute²

[ mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi- ]

adjective,mi·nut·er, mi·nut·est.

extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree: minute differences.
of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.

attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details: a minute examination.

Origin of minute

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; see minus, minor

synonym study For minute

See little.

Other words for minute

1	tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule
3	detailed, exact, precise

See synonyms for minute on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for minute

1	large
3	rough, general

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Other words from minute

mi·nute·ness, noun

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

How to use minute in a sentence

The cops subsequently pulled the surveillance camera footage and noted the interlude in minutest detail.
Rob Ford’s Web of Criminal Friends | Michael Daly | November 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Members of Congress lean on staff for even the minutest details of their professional lives.
Trickle-Down Bribery, or, The Butch Cassidy Congress | Lindsay Mark Lewis | November 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Down to the minutest of details, he described just how alleged “plots” like the one Khalifi is accused of launching unfold.
How the FBI Invents Terrorists Like the U.S. Capitol ‘Suicide Bomber’ | Mansfield Frazier | February 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The cultivation is most carefully watched, and the statistics available concerning it are of the minutest kind.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
It creeps into every detail; it infects the minutest affairs of life as well as the greatest concerns.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley

He idealized human beauty, and imitated Nature to the minutest details.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
This is true of a single drop; it is true of the minutest portion which our instruments are capable of appreciating.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart Mill
The Master said about the body: "Keep it strictly clean always; even from the minutest speck of dirt."
Education as Service | J. Krishnamurti

British Dictionary definitions for minute (1 of 2)

minute¹

/ (ˈmɪnɪt) /

noun

a period of time equal to 60 seconds; one sixtieth of an hour
Also called: minute of arc a unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a degree: Symbol: ′

any very short period of time; moment
a short note or memorandum
the distance that can be travelled in a minute: it's only two minutes away
up to the minute (up-to-the-minute when prenominal) very latest or newest

verb(tr)

to record in minutes: to minute a meeting
to time in terms of minutes

Origin of minute

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

See also minutes

British Dictionary definitions for minute (2 of 2)

minute²

/ (maɪˈnjuːt) /

adjective

very small; diminutive; tiny
unimportant; petty

precise or detailed: a minute examination

Origin of minute

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

Derived forms of minute

minuteness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for minute

minute

[ mĭn′ĭt ]

A unit of time equal to 160 of an hour or 60 seconds.♦ A sidereal minute is 160 of a sidereal hour, and a mean solar minute is 160 of a mean solar hour. See more at sidereal time solar time.
A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, that is equal to 160 of a degree or 60 seconds.

Other Idioms and Phrases with minute

minute

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

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