Where does “minimal” come from?
Minimal comes from Latin minimus, meaning "smallest," which also gave English the words minimum and aldehyde through separate etymological paths.
minimal (English): The smallest possible amount, quantity, or...
Definitions
- The smallest possible amount, quantity, or...
Ancestry of “minimal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ál | Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also |
| 2 | English | aldehyde | Any of a large class of reactive organic... |
| 3 | German | Aldehyd | aldehyde |
| 4 | Latin | alcohol | kohl, collyrium, stibium; any other powder... |
| 5 | Andalusian Arabic | كُحُول | — |
| 6 | Arabic | كحل | antimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the... |
| 7 | Arabic | كُحْل | antimony; kohl, stibnite |
| 8 | Akkadian | guḫlum | kohl, antimony paste |