MINION


Meaning of MINION in English

I. ˈminyən noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle French mignon darling, from mignot dainty, wanton, from Old French, perhaps of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish mīn smooth, gentle — more at mitigate

1. : an obsequious or servile dependent : creature 3a

the inability of a dictator's minions to tell him the truth — Reinhold Niebuhr

2. : a piece of light artillery of about 3-inch caliber and 125 paces range used in the 16th and 17th centuries

3. : one highly esteemed and favored : favorite , idol

his great charity to the poor renders him the minion of the people — Jonas Hanway

4.

[French mignonne, feminine of mignon ]

: an old size of type of approximately 7-point and between nonpareil and brevier

5. : a subordinate (as an agent, deputy, or follower) of an individual or organization ; especially : one having an official status

the masters, not the minions of the state — Russell Davenport

a little fat director … was dispatching minions to chivvy and silence the gaping natives — Jeremy Potter

invasion of their homes by governmental minions — Books of the Month

II. adjective

Etymology: Middle French mignon, from mignot dainty, wanton

archaic : delicate , dainty , pretty

made … a downward crescent of her minion mouth — Alfred Tennyson

III.

variant of munnion

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.