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minuscule

 - 2 dictionary results

mi⋅nus⋅cule

  [min-uh-skyool, mi-nuhs-kyool]
Use minuscule in a Sentence
–adjective
1. very small.
2. (of letters or writing) small; not capital.
3. written in such letters (opposed to majuscule ).
–noun
4. a minuscule letter.
5. a small cursive script developed in the 7th century a.d. from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.
Origin:
1695–1705; < L minusculus smallish. See minus, -cule 1

Related forms:
mi⋅nus⋅cu⋅lar, adjective

Usage note:
Minuscule, from Latin minus meaning “less,” has frequently come to be spelled miniscule, perhaps under the influence of the prefix mini- in the sense “of a small size.” Although this newer spelling is criticized by many, it occurs with such frequency in edited writing that some consider it a variant spelling rather than a misspelling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To minuscule
min·us·cule   (mĭn'ə-skyōōl', mĭ-nŭs'kyōōl')   
adj.  

  1. Very small; tiny. See Synonyms at small.

  2. Of, relating to, or written in minuscule.

n.  

  1. A small cursive script developed from uncial between the seventh and ninth centuries and used in medieval manuscripts.

  2. A letter written in minuscule.

  3. A lowercase letter.


[French, from Latin minusculus, rather small, diminutive of minus, neuter of minor, smaller; see mei-2 in Indo-European roots.]
mi·nus'cu·lar (mĭ-nŭs'kyə-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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