Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. The smallest possible amount, quantity, or...

Ancestry of “minimal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ál—
2EnglishaldehydeAny of a large class of reactive organic...
3GermanAldehydaldehyde
4Latinalcoholkohl, collyrium, stibium; any other powder...
5Andalusian Arabicكُحُول—
6Arabicكحلantimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the...
7Arabicكُحْلantimony; kohl, stibnite
8Akkadianguḫlum—

Words derived from “minimal”

  • minimally
  • minimalist
  • minimalism
  • minimality
  • minimalization
  • nonminimal
  • minimalize
  • subminimal
  • ultraminimal
  • minimalisation
  • postminimalist
  • postminimalism
  • postminimal
  • quasiminimal
  • ultraminimalist
  • nonminimally
  • protominimalist
  • quasiminimality
  • minimalness
  • neominimalist
  • non-minimal
  • non-minimally
  • subminimality
  • מינימלי
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