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minute1 definition

min·ute (minit)

noun

  1. the sixtieth part of any of certain units; specif.,
    1. of an hour; sixty seconds
    2. of a degree of an arc; sixty seconds: symbol, ′
  2. a very short period of time; moment; instant
  3. a specific point in time
  4. a measure of the distance usually covered in a minute five minutes from downtown
    1. a note or memorandum
    2. an official record of what was said and done at a meeting, convention, etc.

Etymology: OFr < ML minuta < L (pars) minuta (prima), (first) small (part), term used by Ptolemy for the sixtieth part of a unit in his system of fractions (of the circle, radius, day, later applied also to the hour): see minute

transitive verb minuted -·uted, minuting -·ut·ing

  1. to time to the minute
    1. to make a minute, or memorandum, of; record
    2. to put in the minutes of a meeting, etc.
minute Idioms

the minute (that)

just as soon as

up to the minute

in the latest style, fashion, etc.
minute2 definition

mi·nute (mī no̵̅o̅t, -nyo̵̅o̅t; mi-)

adjective

  1. very small; tiny
  2. of little importance or significance; petty; trifling
  3. of, characterized by, or attentive to tiny details; exact; precise

Etymology: ME < L minutus, little, small, pp. of minuere, to lessen, diminish < minor: see minor

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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