minute

[ min-it ]

/ ˈmɪn ɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR minute 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 for minute

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

Origin of minute

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin minūta, noun use of feminine of minūtus minute²

SYNONYMS FOR minute

2 jiffy, second. 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 SYNONYMS FOR minute ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

un·min·ut·ed, adjective

Words nearby minute

minus cyclophoria, minus sight, minus sign, minus tick, minuscule, minute, minute gun, minute hand, minute mark, minute steak, minute volume

Definition for minute (2 of 2)

minute ²

[ mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi- ]

/ maɪˈnut, -ˈnyut, mɪ- /

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

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin minūtus (past participle of minuere to make smaller or fewer), equivalent to minū- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix. See minus, minor

SYNONYMS FOR minute

1 tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule. See little.

3 detailed, exact, precise.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR minute ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR minute

1 large.

3 rough, general.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR minute ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

mi·nute·ness, noun

Example sentences from the Web for minute

Whatever happened overtook them both within a minute or so of that altitude change request, and they were never heard from again.

Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly? |Clive Irving |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Could you talk a minute about the notion of being an unreliable narrator?

Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination |Mindy Farabee |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It probably only took a minute or two, although it felt like hours.

You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder |Carrie Arnold |December 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Less than a minute into her big break, Slate let slip a highly audible F-bomb instead of the scripted “freaking.”

The Curious Little Shell That Restarted Jenny Slate’s Career |Luke Hopping |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

A minute ago I was convinced this wasn't going to work, and now I can feel a script forming.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A minute or two after the game was over Mr. Westinghouse, the chaplain, came into the drawing-room.

The Socialist |Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
You see, I've got the thick part of a snail's shell in my tooth and the minute that is out I'll be all right.'

The Club at Crow's Corner |James Otis
Brouillard took another long minute at the office window before he said: "What would you do if you were in my place, Murray?"

The City of Numbered Days |Francis Lynde
But for me, you would be lying dead at this minute and the Astrarium would be ruined.

The Bill-Toppers |Andre Castaigne
This was not exactly clear to the little one, and she stood silent for a minute, gently fingering his long beard.

A Waif of the Mountains |Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for minute (1 of 2)

minute ¹

/ (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

Word Origin for minute

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

British Dictionary definitions for minute (2 of 2)

minute ²

/ (maɪˈnjuːt) /

adjective

very small; diminutive; tiny

unimportant; petty

precise or detailed a minute examination

Derived forms of minute

minuteness, noun

Word Origin for minute

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

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.

Idioms and Phrases with minute

minute

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

minute

noun

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

adjective

Idioms for minute

Origin of minute

SYNONYMS FOR minute

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

Words nearby minute

Definition for minute (2 of 2)

adjective, mi·nut·er, mi·nut·est.

Origin of minute

SYNONYMS FOR minute

ANTONYMS FOR minute

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

Example sentences from the Web for minute

British Dictionary definitions for minute (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for minute

British Dictionary definitions for minute (2 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of minute

Word Origin for minute

Scientific definitions for minute

Idioms and Phrases with minute

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

minute

noun

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

adjective

Idioms for minute

Origin of minute

SYNONYMS FOR minute

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

Words nearby minute

Definition for minute (2 of 2)

adjective, mi·nut·er, mi·nut·est.

Origin of minute

SYNONYMS FOR minute

ANTONYMS FOR minute

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

Words related to minute

Example sentences from the Web for minute

British Dictionary definitions for minute (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for minute

British Dictionary definitions for minute (2 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of minute

Word Origin for minute

Scientific definitions for minute

Idioms and Phrases with minute