Etymologically
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minuo

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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

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