minute 1
/min"it/ , n. , v. , minuted, minuting , adj.
n.
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 Brit. a written summary, note, or memorandum.
6. a rough draft, as of a document.
7. Geom. 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. Cf. angle 1 (def. 1c).
8. up to the minute , modern; up-to-date: The building design is up to the minute.
v.t.
9. to time exactly, as movements or speed.
10. to make a draft of (a document or the like).
11. to record in a memorandum; note down.
12. to enter in the minutes of a meeting.
adj.
13. prepared in a very short time: minute pudding.
[ 1350-1400; ME minuta, n. use of fem. of minutus MINUTE 2 ]
Syn. 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.
minute 2
— minuteness , n.
/muy nooht", -nyooht", mi-/ , adj. minuter, minutest .
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.
[ 1425-75; late ME minutus (ptp. of minuere to make smaller or fewer), equiv. to minu- verb s. + -tus ptp. suffix. See MINUS, MINOR ]
Syn. 1. tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule. See little. 3. detailed, exact, precise.
Ant. 1. large. 3. rough, general.