Minute /(?; 277)/

Min·ute

Minute

n.
  1. The sixtieth part of an hour; sixty seconds. (Abbrev. m. or min.; as, 4 h. 30 m.)
    Four minutes, that is to say, minutes of an hour.
  2. The sixtieth part of a degree; sixty seconds. (Marked thus (′); as, 10° 20′.)
  3. A nautical or a geographic mile.
  4. A coin; a half farthing. [Obs.]
  5. A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a jot; a tittle. [Obs.]
    Minutes and circumstances of his passion.
  6. A point of time; a moment.
    I go this minute to attend the king.
  7. The memorandum; a record; a note to preserve the memory of anything; as, to take minutes of a contract; to take minutes of a conversation or debate; to read the minutes of the last meeting.
  8. A fixed part of a module. See Module. (Arch.)

Minute

a.
  1. Of or pertaining to a minute or minutes; occurring at or marking successive minutes.

Phrases & Compounds
Minute bell
a bell tolled at intervals of a minute, as to give notice of a death or a funeral.
Minute book
a book in which written minutes are entered.
Minute glass
a glass measuring a minute or minutes by the running of sand.
Minute gun
a discharge of a cannon repeated every minute as a sign of distress or mourning.
Minute hand
the long hand of a watch or clock, which makes the circuit of the dial in an hour, and marks the minutes.

Minute

v. t.
  1. To set down a short sketch or note of; to jot down; to make a minute or a brief summary of.
    The Empress of Russia, with her own hand, minuted an edict for universal tolerance.

Minute

a.
  1. Very small; little; tiny; fine; slight; slender; inconsiderable; as, minute details.
  2. Attentive to small things; paying attention to details; critical; particular; precise; as, a minute observer; minute observation.