Where does “minute” come from?
minute (Old French) comes from Latin minuta, from Latin minūtus, from Proto-Italic minwō, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.
minute (Old French): minute one sixtieth of an hour
Definitions
- minute one sixtieth of an hour
Ancestry of “minute”, step by step
minute traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin minuta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | minuta | nominative feminine singular of minūtus;... |
| 2 | Latin | minūtus | diminished, having been diminished |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | minwō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |
via Medieval Latin minuta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | minuta | 60th of an hour", "note; 60th part of an hour;... |