mincer

Variant of mince

transitive verb minced, mincing

  1. to cut up or chop up (meat, etc.) into very small pieces; hash
  2. to subdivide minutely
  3. to express or do with affected elegance or daintiness
  4. to lessen the force of; weaken, as by euphemism: to mince no words

Origin: ME mincen < OFr mincier < VL *minutiare < L minutus, small: see minute

intransitive verb

  1. to speak or act with affected elegance or daintiness
  2. to walk with short steps or in an affected, dainty manner

noun

mincemeat

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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