Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “minuet” come from?

Minuet comes from French menuet, diminutive of menu (small), from Latin minutus (made small), derived from minuō (to lessen), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mey- (to diminish).

minuet (English): A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupé, a...

Definitions

  1. A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupé, a...

Ancestry of “minuet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmenuetminuet
2Old Frenchmenuet—
3Old Frenchmenusmall
4Latinminūtus—
5Proto-Italicminwō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy-soft, tender, dear

Words derived from “minuet”

  • minuetlike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mēy- →