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miniscule. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
miniscule, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
miniscule in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
miniscule you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Likely a conflation between miniature and minuscule.
Adjective
miniscule (comparative more miniscule, superlative most miniscule)
- (usually proscribed) Alternative form of minuscule
1984, Julia Alvarez, Homecoming: Peoms by Julia Alvarez, Grove Press Inc., →ISBN, page 39:I remember the whirl and whine of her black Singer...
Threading the levers, eyepieces, winding the turquoise string
through hooks, and miniscule wheels, up and down...
Usage notes
- “The correct spelling is minuscule rather than miniscule. The latter is a common error, which has arisen by analogy with other words beginning with “mini”, where the meaning is similarly ‘very small’.” (The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford University Press, 1998)
Further reading