Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “arcminute” come from?

arcminute (English) comes from English minute, from Middle English mynute, from Old French minute, from Latin minuta, from Latin minūtus, from Proto-Italic minwō, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.

arcminute (English): A unit of angle; 1/60 of a degree

Definitions

  1. A unit of angle; 1/60 of a degree

Ancestry of “arcminute”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishminuteA unit of time equal to sixty seconds; A short...
2Middle Englishmynuteminute; A sixtieth part; A coin of little worth
3Old Frenchminuteminute
4Latinminutanominative feminine singular of minūtus;...
5Latinminūtus—
6Proto-Italicminwō—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy-soft, tender, dear

Words derived from “arcminute”

  • arcmin
  • subarcmin
  • subarcminute
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mēy- →