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minute

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min⋅ute

1  [min-it] noun, verb, -ut⋅ed, -ut⋅ing, adjective
Use minute in a Sentence
–noun
1. the sixtieth part ( 1/60 ) of an hour; sixty seconds.
2. an indefinitely short space of time: Wait a minute!
3. an exact point in time; instant; moment: Come here this minute!
4. minutes, the official record of the proceedings at a meeting of a society, committee, or other group.
5. Chiefly British. a written summary, note, or memorandum.
6. a rough draft, as of a document.
7. 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 angle 1 (def. 1c).
–verb (used with object)
8. to time exactly, as movements or speed.
9. to make a draft of (a document or the like).
10. to record in a memorandum; note down.
11. to enter in the minutes of a meeting.
–adjective
12. prepared in a very short time: minute pudding.
—Idiom
13. up to the minute, modern; up-to-date: The building design is up to the minute.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < ML minūta, n. use of fem. of minūtus minute 2

Synonyms:
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.

mi⋅nute

2  [mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi-]
–adjective -nut⋅er, -nut⋅est.
1. extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree: minute differences.
2. of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.
3. attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details: a minute examination.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME < L minūtus (ptp. of minuere to make smaller or fewer), equiv. to minū- verb s. + -tus ptp. suffix. See minus, minor

Related forms:
mi⋅nute⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule. See little. 3. detailed, exact, precise.

Antonyms:
1. large. 3. rough, general.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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min·ute 1   (mĭn'ĭt)   
n.   Abbr. min.
  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 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.]
mi·nute 2   (mī-nōōt', -nyōōt', mĭ-)   
adj.  
  1. Exceptionally small; tiny. See Synonyms at small.
  2. Beneath notice; insignificant.
  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 Indo-European roots.]
mi·nute'ness n.
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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Minute

Min"ute\ (?; 277), n. [LL. minuta a small portion, small coin, fr. L. minutus small: cf. F. minute. See 4th Minute.]

1. The sixtieth part of an hour; sixty seconds. (Abbrev. m.; as, 4 h. 30 m.)

Four minutes, that is to say, minutes of an hour. --Chaucer.

2. The sixtieth part of a degree; sixty seconds (Marked thus ('); as, 10[deg] 20').

3. A nautical or a geographic mile.

4. A coin; a half farthing. [Obs.] --Wyclif (Mark xii. 42)

5. A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a jot; a tittle. [Obs.]

Minutes and circumstances of his passion. --Jer. Taylor.

6. A point of time; a moment.

I go this minute to attend the king. --Dryden.

7. The memorandum; a record; a note to preserve the memory of anything; as, to take minutes of a contract; to take minutes of a conversation or debate.

8. (Arch.) A fixed part of a module. See Module.

Note: Different writers take as the minute one twelfth, one eighteenth, one thirtieth, or one sixtieth part of the module.

Minute

Min"ute\, a. Of or pertaining to a minute or minutes; occurring at or marking successive minutes.

Minute bell, a bell tolled at intervals of a minute, as to give notice of a death or a funeral.

Minute book, a book in which written minutes are entered.

Minute glass, a glass measuring a minute or minutes by the running of sand.

Minute gun, a discharge of a cannon repeated every minute as a sign of distress or mourning.

Minute hand, the long hand of a watch or clock, which makes the circuit of the dial in an hour, and marks the minutes.

Minute

Min"ute\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minuted; p. pr. & vb. n. Minuting.] To set down a short sketch or note of; to jot down; to make a minute or a brief summary of.

The Empress of Russia, with her own hand, minuted an edict for universal tolerance. --Bancroft.

Minute

Mi*nute"\, a. [L. minutus, p. p. of minuere to lessen. See Minish, Minor, and cf. Menu, Minuet.]

1. Very small; little; tiny; fine; slight; slender; inconsiderable. "Minute drops." --Milton.

2. Attentive to small things; paying attention to details; critical; particular; precise; as, a minute observer; minute observation.

Syn: Little; diminutive; fine; critical; exact; circumstantial; particular; detailed.

Usage: Minute, Circumstantial, Particular. A circumstantial account embraces all the leading events; a particular account includes each event and movement, though of but little importance; a minute account goes further still, and omits nothing as to person, time, place, adjuncts, etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : minute
Spanish: minuto,
German: die Minute,
Japanese: 分
More Translations »

minute  (n.)
1377, "sixtieth part of an hour," from O.Fr. minut, from M.L. minuta "minute, short note," from L. minuta, fem. of minutus "small, minute" (see minute (adj.)). In M.L., pars minuta prima "first small part" was used by mathematician Ptolemy for one-sixtieth of a circle, later of an hour (next in order was secunda minuta, which became second (n.)). The pl. minutes "record of proceedings" developed c.1710, perhaps from L. minuta scriptura "rough notes," lit. "small writing."

minute  (adj.)
c.1420, "chopped small," from L. minutus "small," pp. of minuere "lessen," related to minor (q.v.). Meaning "very small in size or degree" is attested from c.1626.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: min·ute
Pronunciation: 'mi-n&t
Function: noun
1 : a brief note (as of summary or recommendation)
2 : MEMORANDUM 1
3 plural : the official record of the proceedings of a meeting or court
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: min·ute
Pronunciation: 'min-&t
Function: noun
: a 60th part of an hour of time or of a degree
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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minute   (mĭn'ĭt)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A unit of time equal to 1/60 of an hour or 60 seconds. ◇ A sidereal minute is 1/60 of a sidereal hour, and a mean solar minute is 1/60 of a mean solar hour. See more at sidereal time, solar time.
  2. A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, that is equal to 1/60 of a degree or 60 seconds.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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minute

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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minute

in timekeeping, 60 seconds, now defined in terms of radiation emitted from atoms of the element cesium under specified conditions. The minute was formerly defined as the 60th part of an hour, or the 1,440th part (60 24 [hours] = 1,440) of a mean solar day-i.e., of the average period of rotation of the Earth relative to the Sun. The minute of sidereal time (time measured by the stars rather than by the Sun) was a fraction of a second shorter than the mean solar minute. The minute of atomic time is very nearly equal to the mean solar minute in duration

Learn more about minute with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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