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min·ute 1 (mĭnĭt)
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n.
1. A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour, or 60 seconds.
2. A unit of angular measurement equal to one sixtieth of a degree, or 60 seconds. Also called arcminute, minute of arc.
3. A measure of the distance one can cover in a minute: lives ten minutes from school.
4. A short interval of time; moment. See Synonyms at moment.
5. A specific point in time: Stop that this minute!
6. A note or summary covering points to be remembered; a memorandum.
7. minutes An official record of the proceedings of a meeting.
tr.v. min·ut·ed, min·ut·ing, min·utes
To record in a memorandum or the minutes of a meeting.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin (pars) minūta (prīma), (first) minute (part), from Latin minūta, feminine of minūtus, small; see MINUTE2.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
mi·nute 2 (mī-nt, -nyt, mĭ-)
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adj.
1. Exceptionally small; tiny. See Synonyms at small.
2. Not worthy of notice; insignificant: a minute problem.
3. Characterized by careful scrutiny and close examination: held a minute inspection of the grounds.

[Middle English, from Latin minūtus, past participle of minuere, to lessen; see mei-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

mi·nutely adv.
mi·nuteness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.