min·ute
1 (mĭńĭt)
[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin (pars) minūta (prīma), (first) minute (part), from Latin minūta feminine of minūtus, small; see minute2.]
noun
- A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour, or 60 seconds.
- A unit of angular measurement equal to one sixtieth of a degree, or 60 seconds. Also called minute of arc
- A measure of the distance one can cover in a minute: lives ten minutes from school.
- A short interval of time; moment. See synonyms at moment
- A specific point in time: Stop that this minute!
- A note or summary covering points to be remembered; a memorandum.
- An official record of the proceedings of a meeting.
transitive verb: -ut·ed, -ut·ing, -utes.
- To record in a memorandum or the minutes of a meeting.
mi·nute
2 (mī-nōōt́, -nyōōt́, mĭ-)
[Middle English, from Latin minūtus past participle of minuere, to lessen.]
adjective
- Exceptionally small; tiny. See synonyms at small
- Beneath notice; insignificant.
- Characterized by careful scrutiny and close examination: held a minute inspection of the grounds.
derivatives
- mi·nuténess
- noun
