I. ˈminə̇kə̇n, -nēk- noun
( -s )
Etymology: obsolete Dutch minneken darling, from Middle Dutch minnekijn, from minne love, beloved + -kijn -kin; akin to Old High German minna love, Old Norse minni memory, Gothic ga minthi remembrance, Old English ge mynd mind, memory — more at mind
1. obsolete
a. : a thin gut treble string of a viol or lute
b. : lute , viol
2. obsolete : darling 1a
3. archaic : a small creature : a diminutive or insignificant thing
prepared to harry some whitebait threading the tide but … the minikins escaped — Hugh McCrae
II. adjective
1. archaic : dainty in manner or appearance ; especially : affected 3
the pettiness, the minikin finical effect of this little man — Nathaniel Hawthorne
2. : very small in size or form : diminutive , miniature , tiny
the minikin little dribble that I called a canal — S.H.Adams
a minikin fraction of history
3. obsolete : shrill — used of a voice
one blast of thy minikin mouth — Shakespeare