minuo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈmɪ.nu.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmiː.nu.o]^[1]

Forms

minuō (present infinitive minuere, perfect active minuī, supine minūtum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *minuō, from a nasal present *mi-néw-ti of Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”).^[1] Cognate with Sanskrit मीनाति (minā́ti, “to lessen, damage”), Ancient Greek μινύθω (minúthō, “to lessen”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (mins, “less”) and Old Church Slavonic мьнйии (mĭnjii, “smaller”).^[1][2][3] The OLD relates it to minor “smaller”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of impairing something.^[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make smaller, reduce in size, and in Pliny to slim the body, to reduce in number or value, and in Varro's grammar to form a diminutive.^[4] Cato uses it of chopping up, and Ovid of breaking wood into small pieces.^[4][6] It meant to lessen a feeling or activity, tone down a statement, restrict, and to impair, weaken, so that māiestātem minuere was to commit treason against the state, as in Cicero.^[4] It also meant to minimize, to subtract, and in the middle sense to grow smaller, as in Caesar.^[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to diminish, abate, reduce.^[7] A first-conjugation variant minuāre, attested from the 4th century AD, gave Spanish menguar and Portuguese minguar.^[1] Its participle minūtus “small” is the source of English minute and English menu.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of impairing.^[4][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of chopping up.^[4][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of lessening.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses māiestātem minuere.^[4][5]
• 4th century AD – The variant minuāre appears.^[1]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make smaller, reduce; to slim.^[4]
2. To reduce in number or value, (grammar) to form a diminutive.^[4]
3. To break into small pieces, chop up.^[4][6]
4. To lessen, abate; to tone down; to restrict.^[4]
5. To impair, weaken, māiestātem minuere, to commit treason.^[4]
6. To represent as less, minimize; to subtract.^[4]
7. (middle) To grow less, decrease.^[4]

Word family

• comminuō
• dēminuō
• dīminuō
• imminuō
• imminūtus
• minuisco
• minūtal
• minūtālis
• minūtātim
• minūtiloquium
• minūtim
• minūtiō

Related words

• minor
• minūtus
• English minute
• English diminish

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com