What does minute mean?
Minute is a compact English word with three established grammatical roles. As a noun, its dominant meaning is a unit of time equal to 60 seconds, as in “wait a minute,” though it can also mean a particular moment. In meetings, the plural “minutes” refers to the official written record of what was said and decided. As an adjective, minute means extremely small or insignificant, a usage that can describe physical size, amounts, details, or differences. As a verb, to minute a meeting or decision means to record it formally. Pronunciation helps distinguish the common noun from the adjective: the noun is usually stressed on the first syllable, while the adjective is generally stressed on the second in British and American pronunciation. The word is especially notable for connecting two seemingly opposite ideas: time can be divided into tiny sixty-second units, and the same historical word also describes something exceedingly small.
A unit of time equal to 60 seconds; a particular moment; or, usually in the plural, the official record of a meeting’s proceedings.
"The meeting lasted for ninety minutes."
To make or take an official written record of a meeting or its proceedings.
"The secretary minutes each committee meeting."
This is a formal administrative or parliamentary usage.
Extremely small in size, amount, or significance.
"There was a minute difference between the two measurements."
The plural is used for quantities of the time unit and is also the normal form for the official record of a meeting.
"The meeting starts in five minutes."
The word “minute” means both a tiny amount of time and one-sixtieth of an hour.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does minute come from?
The word entered Middle English through French and ultimately comes from Latin minutus, meaning “small.” Its time sense reflects the Latin division of an hour into sixtieths, recorded in Medieval Latin as minutum, while the adjective continued the older sense of “exceedingly small.” The same Latin source underlies English words such as minutia and the plural minutiae, meaning very small or trifling details.
Related word forms
How minute is actually used
The standard pronunciation of the time noun is usually MIN-it, while the adjective is commonly pronounced my-NUTE in British English and mi-NOOT in American English. The meeting-record and record-taking uses belong chiefly to formal, administrative, legal, and parliamentary contexts.
Easily confused with minute
A minute is a unit of time or means extremely small, whereas a minuet is a formal court dance.