noun

minute

MIH-niht

noun

A unit of time equal to sixty seconds, or one sixtieth of an hour.

"Wait a minute, I'll be right there."

"The meeting lasted only twenty minutes."

A written record of what was discussed or decided at a meeting (usually plural: minutes).

"The secretary read out the minutes from last week's meeting."

adj

(pronounced differently, my-NEWT) Extremely small, or extremely detailed and careful.

"She went over the contract in minute detail before signing."

How to Use Minute

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA sixty-second stretch of time, the official notes from a meeting, or (with a different stress/pronunciation) "extremely small or detailed."

Common mistake

Same spelling, two very different pronunciations depending on meaning — MIN-it (time) vs. my-NEWT (tiny/detailed).

Common pairings

wait a minute minute detail take the minutes

Word Forms

minuter comparative, more minute comparative, minuted past tense, minutes plural, minutes singular, minutest superlative, most minute superlative

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Etymology

From Old French minute, from Medieval Latin minuta ("a small part, sixtieth"), tied to the same root as "minus."

Rhymes for minute

ute cute mute lute flute acute haute brute chute route refute astute

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