minuut

Forms

minuut f (plural minuten, diminutive minuutje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch minute, borrowed from Middle French minute, borrowed from Medieval Latin minūta (“unit of time”) (the Philippa dictionary leaves open whether French was the intermediary), shortened from pars minūta prīma (“first small part”) of a quantity divided by sixty.^[2][1][3] The Latin word is the feminine of minūtus (“small”), the past participle of minuō (“to make smaller”), from minor (“smaller”), which is related to Dutch minder.^[2][4] The second division by sixty was the secunda, whence seconde.^[2] The Old French form was minute, earlier ⟨minuce⟩.^[2]

A second sense, “first draft of a document”, comes from minūta (“note, draft”), because such drafts were written in a small running hand, scriptūra minūta.^[2][5][6] The English word minute is the same.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The sense “draft of a deed” is recorded in 1470.^[7] The unit of time is in a text of 1485, which says that each minute is divided into many moments;^[2][7] Van der Sijs dates it to 1494.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The 60th part of a degree is recorded in 1614, in a position given as 19 degrees 9 minutes.^[2] By 1785 geen minuut could mean “not a moment”, of a young lady who will not get up a minute earlier.^[2][6] In the 17th century the word could also mean a trifle, a sense the WNT called wholly unknown by 1906.^[6]

The sense “draft” gave the original of a notarial deed from which copies are issued, de minuut van de akte (1906), and the verb minuteren “to draw up a draft” (1549).^[2][6] The Malay of the East Indies took the unit of time from Dutch as menit, and it spread to Javanese, Sundanese, Acehnese and many other languages of Indonesia.^[8][1]

Timeline

• 1470 – Minute “first draft of a deed”.^[7]
• 1485 – Minute “sixtieth part of an hour”.^[2]
• 1549 – The verb minuteren “to draft”.^[2]
• 1614 – Minuut as a sixtieth of a degree.^[2]
• 1785 – Geen minuut vroeger, not a moment earlier.^[2][6]
• 1906 – De minuut van de akte, the original of a deed.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. minute: the sixtieth part of an hour: de bus komt over vijf minuten.^[9][10][1]
2. A very short time, a moment: heb je even een minuutje?.^[10][9]
3. (geometry) The sixtieth part of a degree.^[9][11]
4. (law) The original of an official document or notarial deed, from which copies are made.^[9][11][6]

Word family

• minuutwijzer
• minuteren

Related words

• seconde
• minder
• English minute

Usage notes

Een minuut! means “just a moment!”.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
3. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum
4. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
5. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b c d Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
8. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
9. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ a b Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org