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Minute or small


Minute - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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Craftsmen can paint whole villages or detailed portraits of people on a grain of rice using minute, or tiny, paintbrushes. Often the works of art are so minute that you can only see them with a magnifying glass.

Minutus is the Latin word for "small," and it gave rise to both the adjective minute (my-NOOT), or incredibly small, and the noun minute (MIN-it), or 60 seconds of time. Though they are pronounced differently, both words refer to small measurements. An object can be minute, like a flea compared with its dog, and less concrete things can be minute, like your minute chance of winning the lottery. A minute freckle on the side of your nose is a minute detail of your whole face.

Definitions of minute

  1. noun

    a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

    “he ran a 4 minute mile”

    synonyms: min

  2. noun

    an indefinitely short time

    “it only takes a minute”

    synonyms: bit, mo, moment, second

  3. noun

    a particular point in time

    synonyms: instant, moment, second

  4. noun

    distance measured by the time taken to cover it

    synonyms: hour

  5. adjective

    infinitely or immeasurably small

    “two minute whiplike threads of protoplasm”

    synonyms: infinitesimal
    little, small

    limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

  6. adjective

    characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination

    “a minute inspection of the grounds”

    “an exact and minute report”

    synonyms: narrow
    careful

    exercising caution or showing care or attention

  7. noun

    a unit of angular distance equal to a 60th of a degree

    synonyms: arcminute, minute of arc

  8. noun

    a short note

    “the secretary keeps the minutes of the meeting”

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Minute Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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1

[ min-it ]

/ ˈmɪn ɪt /

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See synonyms for: minute / minuted / minutest / minutes on Thesaurus.com

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR minute

2 jiffy, second.

See synonyms for minute on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is commonly used with other verbs to express intention?

Idioms about minute

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

Origin of minute

1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Medieval Latin minūta, noun use of feminine of minūtus minute2

synonym study for minute

2. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

un·min·ut·ed, adjective

Words nearby minute

Minuit, minus, minuscule, minus sight, minus sign, minute, minute gun, minute hand, minutely, Minuteman, minute mark

Other definitions for minute (2 of 2)

minute2

[ 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR minute

1 tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule.

3 detailed, exact, precise.

See synonyms for minute on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR minute

1 large.

3 rough, general.

See antonyms for minute on Thesaurus.com

Origin of minute

2

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin minūtus (past participle of minuere “to make smaller or fewer”), equivalent to minū- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix; see minus, minor

synonym study for minute

See little.

OTHER WORDS FROM minute

mi·nute·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to minute

infinitesimal, insignificant, microscopic, minimal, minuscule, precise, tiny, negligible, paltry, slight, trivial, exhaustive, meticulous, painstaking, thorough, moment, second, short time, diminutive, fine

How to use minute in a sentence

  • The minute you start stimulating the brain, you are going to be changing people’s minds.

    People are concerned about tech tinkering with our minds|Laura Sanders|February 11, 2021|Science News For Students

  • “I started learning patients’ minute-renewal schedules,” Winford said in an interview.

    Lacking a Lifeline: How a federal effort to help low-income Americans pay their phone bills failed amid the pandemic|Tony Romm|February 9, 2021|Washington Post

  • Its maximum print speed is 35 pages per minute and features auto-duplex printing and a color touchscreen display that will connect your scans to Google Drive, Dropbox, Facebook, OneDrive, and more.

    Best all-in-one printer: Upgrade your home office with these multitasking machines|Carsen Joenk|February 8, 2021|Popular-Science

  • One problem with Fake Famous is that, clocking in at under 90 minutes, it barely gives viewers a sense of what the subjects are like as people.

    What HBO’s Fake Famous Doesn’t Understand About Young People and Influencer Culture|Judy Berman|February 4, 2021|Time

  • Regulators and politicians have questioned their growth and data collection, and their power over the most minute aspects of people’s lives.

    With Bezos out as Amazon CEO, Zuckerberg is the last man standing|Elizabeth Dwoskin|February 3, 2021|Washington Post

  • 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

  • “The play contains one five minute scene about James Hewitt,” Conway says.

    Harry’s Daddy, and Diana’s ‘Murder’: Royal Rumors In a New Play|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

  • I did a ten minute scene in his class: the guy who had gangrene in his leg in The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

    The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 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

  • “The beginning of that piece is one minute of cellos and violas,” he says.

    ‘Mozart in the Jungle’: Inside Amazon’s Brave New World of Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music|Kevin Fallon|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

  • After a minute's pause, while he stood painfully silent, she resumed in great emotion.

    The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter

  • I assure you, no matter how beautifully we play any piece, the minute Liszt plays it, you would scarcely recognize it!

    Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

  • By the time I had done my toilette there was a tap at the door, and in another minute I was in the salle--manger.

    Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various

  • The remaining one struggled for another half-minute, and flared up in one last, desperate effort.

    The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman

  • Words are often everywhere as the minute-hands of the soul, more important than even the hour-hands of action.

    Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for minute (1 of 2)

minute1

/ (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 degreeSymbol: ′

any very short period of time; moment

a short note or memorandum

the distance that can be travelled in a minuteit's only two minutes away

up to the minute (up-to-the-minute when prenominal) very latest or newest

verb (tr)

to record in minutesto minute a meeting

to time in terms of minutes

See also 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)

minute2

/ (maɪˈnjuːt) /

adjective

very small; diminutive; tiny

unimportant; petty

precise or detaileda minute examination

Derived forms of minute

minuteness, noun

Word Origin for minute

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with minute

minute

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

History of the Second

Art & Technology

On our clock, the second is the smallest unit of time. Of course, if you strain yourself, you can see a half in this segment, and a short-sighted lucky person will probably see a quarter, but that's all

On our clock, the second is the smallest unit of time. Of course, if you strain yourself, you can see a half in this segment, and a short-sighted lucky person, perhaps, will see a quarter, but that's all. Mankind, however, in the person of its runners, on the one hand, and scientists, on the other, has long crossed this line.

At the 100-meter race, they are already arguing over hundredths of a second, while commands are given to space probes with an accuracy of thousandths. But this, it turns out, is not the limit: the so-called atomic clock on cesium "ticks" more than 9 billion times per second, and the other day they created a new clock, on mercury atoms, even more precisely. How did we come to such a life? After all, only five hundred years ago, no clock could even catch this whole second!

Our little second has a long and glorious history. It is believed that the Sumerians invented it. There was such a people in Mesopotamia, of extraordinary talent - the first to come up with city-states, latrines with lids and a circle dividing the circle into 360 parts. They had a 60-decimal number system, from which we inherited the “dozen” and “degree” (not the one that is 40, but which is 360). No one knows why they decided to count by 60 - either they saw something mystical in this, they saw something mystical, or, as some suggest, they counted not on the fingers, but on their phalanges, or simply decided that 60 --– a convenient number, divisible by many numbers without a remainder, a convenient number.

Be that as it may, they called the smallest part of their circle "gesh". They generally meant this word as a unit of something: one person (man) - gesh, one of his members (phallus) - gesh, a unit of time is also gesh. But since they could not measure this last gem, it remained in vain for a long time as unnecessary.

Even the ancient Greeks, for which a cunning and also talented people, could not measure minutes more accurately, although they still did not know such a name: their great astronomer Hipparchus was the first to measure the duration of the solar year and was mistaken by only some six minutes. But how much it was in seconds, he could not say, because there was not even such a word yet. The Romans invented it. They adopted from the Greeks (and those from the Sumerians) the division of the circle, first into 60, and then into another 60 parts. This first decrease was called "prima minute", and the second - "second minute". I1 / 360 is a part of the circle (“gesh”) and therefore became known as the “second”.

Clocks of that time, gnomons, etc., could not measure seconds, so scientists talked about them only theoretically. Nevertheless, they argued: by the middle of the 15th-15th century, through the efforts of many thinkers, mostly church (because in those days the measurement of time was the prerogative of the church), there was, bypassing any legislators, a general opinion that the day should be divided into 24 hours, the hour - 60 minutes, and a minute - 60 seconds.

And then the practical need for seconds arrived. Navigators could already determine the geographic latitude (by the angle of the sun), but they did not know how to calculate longitude, and this often led them off course and died.

Meanwhile, it would be possible to measure longitude with an accurate clock: look how far noon, according to the clock taken in London or Amsterdam, is separated from the local noon, there you have longitude. But for this it was necessary that the watch during transportation maintain an accuracy of up to a second or even less, and this task turned out to be so difficult for the technology of that time that the British Admiralty announced a reward of 20 thousand pounds for its solution.

The remarkable English watchmaker John Harrison solved the problem, but he received the award for the creation of the first ever marine chronometer only years later. Creepy story.

One way or another, the second came into scientific use, and scientists began to think about how to determine it. For a long time they used a simple idea of ​​it as 1/86400 of a solar day. About 40 years ago, a second was redefined as 1/31556925.9747 of a solar (tropical) year.

And then a clock based on the vibrations of the cesium atom was invented, and since then the second began to be understood - regardless of the day or year - the total duration of 9192631. 770 such fluctuations. Poor Harrison would have clutched his head: his chronometer was 5 seconds behind during the trip from England to Jamaica, and the cesium chronometer is 1 second behind in 316 thousand years!

Published in the magazine "My Watch" №1-2002

A moment for reflection. "Every project is a small life" - videographer Ivars Utinans

Ivars Utinans. Photo from personal archive

Ivar Utinans made about 900 videos over 8 years and most likely you have seen at least one of them. In the “A Minute for Reflection” section, he talked about how he worked in a chicken factory to earn money for his video equipment, how the video “Quarantine Between Us” was filmed, about his biggest fear and dream.

About childhood and hobbies

As a child, like everyone else, I played football in the yard, for a while I went canoeing and participated in competitions, which was not very successful, but funny. He also did break dancing, sang in the choir and went to Saules school, where he sculpted from clay.

Recently, I even started to think that I want to do something with my own hands. I've always liked it. I can easily hang out for three hours on the beach, making something out of sand or sticks.

In my school years I wanted to become an architect, but then I realized that for this you need to be mathematically strong, and I don’t like mathematics in this form. And I also don't like working on small details for a long time. At the age of 16, I just started studying the After Effects program, where a fifteen-second splash screen could be made for two weeks.

About finding myself

I finished 9 classes at the State Gymnasium and went to the technical school at the station duty officer. I worked in this specialty for a couple of months when I had an internship. Then I realized that this is not my format of existence, because it is difficult and uninteresting for me to sit in one place for a long time and do the same work.

Even if I didn’t become a videographer, I would still like to work in different teams, because this has its own trick - you find yourself in a different atmosphere, you yourself feel differently, the result is different, you draw some conclusions stay inspired and ideological.

When the first video cameras appeared, we fooled around and filmed something in the yard. Then, after graduating from technical school, I went to Scotland for six months and worked there in a chicken factory, every day thinking only about how to get out of there as quickly as possible. I even worked there three days a week, instead of five, because it was not so important for me to earn money as to live, and not to exist. Because every day is now, and if you put it off until later, you will never begin to live.

In general, I went to Scotland in order to earn money and buy more video equipment. When I returned, my friends and I started shooting our first videos.

Then it so happened that I met the guys from the Center of Polish Culture and they offered me to shoot programs for them. I had to attend 4-6 events a month and shoot material for two issues a month. It was my first job in this area.

At that time I was still living with my parents, so I somehow had enough money, but I felt some pressure from them. This motivated me to develop and work more, although I knew that if they told me to move out, then I would rather live with friends at the studio and do what I like than go to work abroad again .

When a friend gave me a camera for a week, I knew that this time should be used to the maximum, so I shot something every day, and not just when I wanted to. And here we come to 2020, when I have been doing this for 8 years.

I have always believed that the most important thing is experience. The more you shoot, the more you draw conclusions and change. I was really lucky that my hobby began to turn into a job, so it was always a joy for me to spend the money I earned on new equipment. This is both development and the opportunity to do new projects, again, earning money. It turns out that you are not so much spending as you are investing in your future.

About nature and solitude

As a child, I often spent time in the village with my grandfather, where, by the way, there was also a cool school of life. But this is a place where there are few people. Therefore, even now, despite my openness and activity, I have a craving for loneliness. For example, this year, when the earth still existed according to other laws, I was lucky enough to spend 9 days in Tenerife. There I got up at dawn, rode alone in a car and returned home at sunset. And I didn't feel the lack of communication. It was such a detachment from the world with oneself. Although, I can not say that I am an introvert.

About clips and how ideas are born

Basically it turns out that ideas are born not from me. There is, of course, a separate category of videos that I make for myself. But when it comes to clips, they are usually ideas that other people have been nurturing for a long time. For example, it was with the clip of the Maffiz group, the idea of ​​which was born from a creative team consisting of theater actors Vadim Bogdanov, Miroslav Blakunov and Egils Vilyumovs. They just came to me, and together we began to figure out how it could all be implemented.

But in general, I like to jump into ideas rather than follow a script. So it happened with the video for the song “Quarantine Between Us”, which we made in two days. Aleksey Blazhevich came up with the lyrics of the song and the image, and we went to shoot in Riga. Locations were already searched on the spot, nothing was thought out in advance.

In fact, in my life it happens that I get the best experience and contacts in such projects that are done for an idea, not for money. Therefore, even if you are offered some kind of creative adventure, do not miss this opportunity.

I also love that huge part of my job that doesn't even involve filming. Every time you find yourself in a new environment, communicate with people and experience some emotions. Each project is like a little life .

About travel

To date, I have visited 21 countries. Three years ago I started going on press tours. This is when a team of journalists gathers and I, as a videographer, with them. So I visited Georgia twice and Armenia once. The purpose of the press tour is to talk about new routes, so this way you can get to absolutely amazing places that few people knew about before.

For the last two years I have been involved in documentary film projects. A project is written, and a group of people goes on an expedition. So I traveled to several cities in Russia, visited Baikal.

I also love to travel alone. I build my day myself and I always shoot something. By the way, when you still have a video from the trip, you can review it and relive these feelings. Therefore, for me it is like two trips instead of one!

It is very difficult to choose the most memorable trip. For example, I have been to Norway three times and I really liked it. But in fact, every place has its own charm. I really got high when I traveled around Latvia. We have so many beautiful places – Kuldiga, Cesis, Jurkalne…

About the Latgalian language

My mother is from Dagda, and my father is from Preili, so the Latgalian language has always been heard, although I did not study it. Just then I met a team of guys who spoke Latgalian and, in fact, absorbed what was already mine. Now the use of the Latgalian language in speech has become my trick.

About energy

It seems to me that energy is multifaceted and easy to replenish. For example, sometimes I needed a lot of energy to get up at dawn, but I immediately got it back. Therefore, if you spend it correctly, it will always be renewed.

About my biggest fear

My biggest fear is losing faith in the light, becoming a skeptic or a pessimist. I want to believe that there is good in everything. Even if people do good deeds because they pursue some personal goals. After all, charity is also often done for personal purposes, but I just want to take it for granted.

About a dream

Sometimes you listen to music and realize that it changes you. So I would like people to see in my work not just pleasure, but also a change of consciousness for the better. And I would like this to become my main occupation in life - the search for and interchange with different people.

About quarantine

I think this is the perfect time to jump in and break 2020. Now people feel more vulnerable, but they want to go beyond the limits and limitations. Many begin to do what they have been putting off for a long time, someone reveals their creative potential. Humanity has always grown in crisis, so while there is such an opportunity, you need to use it to the maximum.

About migration

I feel good here as well. Of course, I would love to live a month in a house in the Alps, but I would not want to turn it into my everyday life. It's like drinking diluted water or a drop of powerful syrup.

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