minutemi‧nute2 /maɪˈnjuːt $ -ˈnuːt/ ●○○ adjective 
You only need a minute amount. Her handwriting is minute.► see thesaurus at small2paying careful attention to the smallest details SYN meticulous: a minute examination of the rock He explained the plan in minute detail.—minutely adverb: She studied the letter minutely.
WORD ORIGINminute2
Origin:
1600-1700 Latin minutus, from minuere ‘to make smaller’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- minute scutiny
- Her writing's so minute that it's difficult to read.
- Only minute amounts of the chemical were found in the water supply.
- Police found minute traces of blood on the car seats.
- The equipment records minute changes in air pressure.
- The print was so minute I nearly went blind reading it.
- The problem was caused by minute particles of dust getting in the disk drive.
- The substance is so toxic that even a minute dose of it could be fatal.
- We used a microscope to look at the minute plant forms.
THESAURUSvery small
very small – used about objects, numbers, or amounts: · a tiny island· Dairy foods provide your body with a tiny amount of vitamin D.
informal very small – used for emphasis: · I’ll just have a teeny bit of cream.· There’s just one teeny little problem.· a teeny little house
extremely small and extremely difficult to see or notice: · They found minute traces of poison in his body.· The differences are minute.· minute creatures
a miniature camera, watch, railway etc is made in a very small size. A miniature horse, dog etc is bred to be a very small size: · The spy used a miniature camera.· the fashion for miniature pets
extremely small and impossible to see without special equipment: · microscopic organisms· microscopic particles of dust
extremely small in a surprising way: · She was wearing a minuscule bikini.· The threat from terrorism is minuscule compared to other risks in our lives.
[only before noun] American English informal very small: · An itty-bitty little bug crawled across his forehead.· We stayed at some itty-bitty hotel in a back street.
Longman Language Activatorsmall and not making much difference to something · I want to make a few small changes to the design.· There is still one small problem that we haven't dealt with.· Government statistics showed a small drop in the annual rate of inflation.
small and not very important or not very noticeable: · There has been a slight change of plan.· The doctor says there has been a slight improvement in her condition.· He was a good friend - always available to help at the slightest sign of need.not the slightest (=none at all): · Tom? I haven't the slightest idea where he is.· US foreign policy at the time hadn't made the slightest difference in the situation.
not important enough or serious enough to worry about: · She fell off her horse, but suffered only minor injuries.· The contract seems fine, except for a few minor details.· With one or two minor changes, the course is the same as last year.
an infinitesimal amount, risk etc is so small that it makes very little difference or is not worth worrying about: · Even an infinitesimal change in temperature will be recorded by the equipment.· I'd say the chances of your catching the disease are infinitesimal.
extremely small: · I've made one or two tiny alterations, but otherwise the house is the same as when I bought it.· There's been a tiny decrease in the number of people out of work.
a change or difference that is minute is so small that it is difficult to see it or notice any effects resulting from it: · The equipment records minute changes in air pressure.
extremely small in size · Have you seen Vic's apartment? It's tiny.· Luke put out his hand and touched the tiny fingers of his baby daughter.· a tiny village in the mountainstiny little · The box was full of tiny little blue and white beads.
extremely small and difficult to see: · Police found minute traces of blood on the car seats.· Her writing's so minute that it's difficult to read.· The problem was caused by minute particles of dust getting in the disk drive.
a lot smaller than usual, especially in a way that seems surprising: · Compared to its adult size, a new-born kangaroo is minuscule.· The pool was surrounded by bronzed girls wearing minuscule bikinis.
an object or living creature that is microscopic is so small that it is difficult or impossible to see without using special equipment: · The skin is covered with microscopic hairs, invisible to the naked eye.· A primitive form of microscopic life may have existed on Mars billions of years ago.· Many of these organisms are microscopic in size.
very small, but made just like something of normal size: · Next to the beach there's a miniature railway.· The locket contained a miniature portrait of her late husband.· a miniature TV with a 2 inch screen
small numbers/amounts · There wasn't really much I could buy with such a small amount.· Only a small number of people eventually turned up.· The level of radiation in the atmosphere is really very small.
: low prices, wages, levels etc are less than usual or less than they should be: · It's a good time to buy a computer, because prices are low.· Farm workers are complaining about long hours and low wages.· Low interest rates mean good news for home owners.
a tiny number or amount is extremely small: · Only a tiny fraction of our profit comes from book sales.· You only need to use a tiny amount of salt.· The proportion of babies that suffer from the disease is tiny.a tiny majority (=a very small number of a much larger group): · Millions of people buy lottery tickets, but only a tiny majority ever win anything.
a minute amount is extremely small, and is often so small that it makes very little difference to something: · Only minute amounts of the chemical were found in the water supply.· The substance is so toxic that even a minute dose of it could be fatal.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He explained the plan in minute detail.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Her husband died 14 years ago. The little girl you saw a moment ago was my niece. The beach is only five minutes away (=it only takes five minutes to get there). in the closing years of his life I enjoyed every minute of it. I asked for an extra two weeks to finish the work. I always keep my watch 15 minutes fast. They scored in the final minutes of the game. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes. In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success. Each lesson lasts an hour. The ceasefire didn’t last long. You’re half an hour late. The bus came ten minutes late. If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last. I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline. The clock is about five minutes slow. Could you possibly spare me a few moments in private (=used to ask someone if they have time to quickly talk to you)? Isabel stayed for a year in Paris to study. I want to see you in my office this minute (=immediately). The general lacked up-to-the-minute information at the crucial moment.
He explained the plan in minute detail. Her husband died 14 years ago. The little girl you saw a moment ago was my niece. The beach is only five minutes away (=it only takes five minutes to get there). in the closing years of his life· Calls cost only 2p per minute.
(=very fast, because you have very little time remaining)· We only just caught our plane, after a last-minute dash to the airport.
· A train had broken down, causing a two-hour delay.
(=very exact detail)· We've been through all the arrangements for the wedding in minute detail.
I enjoyed every minute of it. I asked for an extra two weeks to finish the work. I always keep my watch 15 minutes fast. They scored in the final minutes of the game. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes.· A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success. Each lesson lasts an hour. The ceasefire didn’t last long. You’re half an hour late. The bus came ten minutes late. If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last.· At age four, she was still having a two-hour nap every day.
· His contract said he must give three months’ notice if he decides to leave the job.
· We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
(=extremely small)· The rock contains minute quantities of copper.
I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline. The clock is about five minutes slow. Could you possibly spare me a few moments in private (=used to ask someone if they have time to quickly talk to you)? Isabel stayed for a year in Paris to study. I want to see you in my office this minute (=immediately). The general lacked up-to-the-minute information at the crucial moment.· William waited an hour for his sister to arrive.
· There’s a good restaurant a five-minute walk away.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Radon, a naturally-occurring radioactive gas, is formed in the earth from the decay of minute amounts of uranium.· Handling the minute amounts of material required remains extraordinarily difficult.· Even with the lids on tightly, they release minute amounts of chemicals which may be dangerous if they accumulate.· It has the advantage of requiring only minute amounts of material.· The various components of the prostaglandin system occur fleetingly, and in minute amounts, in all the tissues of the body.
· I carefully examined every photograph in minute detail through a magnifying glass so as not to miss a thing.· It felt as if he could see right inside her head so that he knew beyond doubt the minutest detail of her response.· On the contrary, we Fists are exemplary planners, fascinated by the minutest detail.· Neither was I told to examine in minute detail, every blade of grass that my kit was to come in contact with.· Instead she leaned over and began one of her painstaking drawings, full of minute detail.· Nothing went smoothly,even when it appeared that the most minute details had been described with no further room for misunderstanding.· Researchers, too, can sometimes be carried away in delving deeply into some issue in the minutest detail.
· The minute particles in the rock have been flattened with the result that the slate splits easily into thin sheets.· Homogenized milk has been mechanically treated to break fat globules into minute particles and disperse them throughout the milk.· The seed contains all the parts of the body - flesh, bone and so on - in minute particles.· When the pools dry, the rotifers turn into minute particles of dust, wrinkled and desiccated, awaiting the next rainfall.
· These distinctive characteristics come from differences in minute quantities of flavouring constituents whose concentrations are at the threshold of human sensory perception.· It has time to dissolve minute quantities of minerals which can give it definite characteristics such as hardness or taste.· Although minerals are only present in minute quantities it's worth remembering that when choosing your water.· Even outside a nuclear weapon it is a highly dangerous substance - fatal to humans if ingested in even minute quantities.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► all of 50p/20 minutes etc► there’s one born every minute► be counting (down) the minutes/hours/days► three minutes/ten seconds etc flat► from day to day/from minute to minute etc► give or take a few minutes/a penny/a mile etc► be a laugh a minute► one-minute/two-minute etc silence► in 10 days’/five years’/a few minutes’ etc time► ten minutes’ worth/a week’s worth etc of something
1extremely small: - And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
- Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
- Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
- One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
- Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
- The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
- And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
- Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
- In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
- Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
- One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
- Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
- The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
- Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
- After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
- I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
- Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
- Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
- The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
- The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
- After ingestion of sucrose, breath hydrogen was measured at 20 minute intervals for 160 minutes.
- Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
- Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
- And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
- Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
- For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
- I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
- It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
- It went dead for just a second.
- Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
- Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
- At rest the cricket looks like a dead leaf, but it transforms itself at the last moment.
- At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
- At the last moment, it veered away and came to halt by a vent.
- Fortunately, Chrysler dropped the idea for such a fin at the last minute.
- I can not chuck them at the last minute.
- In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
- Perhaps he could arrange for Anthony to go sick at the last minute.
- The bends in the road came at the last moment.
- But any day now, his two agents should be arriving from Aden.
- For the black and white believers who gathered at Azusa Street, the answer was simple: any day now.
- His task force is set to deliver its report any day now.
- It should be 239-any minute now.
- The chip set is currently in pre-production; high volume production is due to begin any day now.
- The right guy would come along any minute now.
- They said they were sending along at once, so they should be here any minute now.
- This bloody border war could flare up any day now.
- And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
- And hey, wait a minute.
- Beth, can it wait a minute?
- But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
- But wait a minute, what's this?
- I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
- They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
- Ward waited a moment by the door.
You only need a minute amount. Her handwriting is minute.► see thesaurus at small2paying careful attention to the smallest details SYN meticulous: a minute examination of the rock He explained the plan in minute detail.—minutely adverb: She studied the letter minutely.