Minutes
ˈmɪnɪts
Definitions
3 meaningsA unit of time equal to sixty seconds or a sixtieth of an hour.
ˈmɪnɪt
A unit of time
The movie will start in a few minutes.
💡 Simply: A minute is like a blink of an eye on the clock. It's how we measure small bits of time, like when you're waiting for your favorite show to start. Imagine it's only 1 minute until the next level of your video game!
👶 For kids: A minute is a short time, like when you brush your teeth or count to sixty.
More Examples
Can you give me a minute to finish this task?
The meeting lasted for over an hour, but it felt like only a few minutes.
How It's Used
"The meeting lasted for 60 minutes."
"There are 90 minutes in a soccer game."
"The train is expected to arrive in 10 minutes."
A written summary of a meeting, especially the record of proceedings of a formal meeting.
ˈmɪnɪts
The official record of a meeting
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're at a meeting, and someone writes down everything that's said and decided. Those notes are the 'minutes'. It's like a record of what happened.
👶 For kids: Minutes are like a diary for meetings. They write down what people talked about.
More Examples
She took accurate minutes during the conference.
The secretary prepared the minutes and distributed them to the board members.
How It's Used
"The secretary took detailed minutes of the board meeting."
"The minutes of the hearing are available to the public."
To record in minutes; to take the minutes of a meeting.
ˈmɪnɪts
To record the minutes of a meeting
She minuted the proceedings of the board meeting.
💡 Simply: To 'minute' something means to write down a record of it, typically for a meeting. Imagine taking notes to capture the key points of the conference call.
👶 For kids: To write down all the important things people say at a meeting.
More Examples
The secretary carefully minuted all the key decisions.
He was responsible for minuting the discussion during the conference.
How It's Used
"The assistant was tasked to minute the meeting."
Idioms & expressions
in a minute
Very soon; in a short time
"I'll be there in a minute!"
From Middle English *minute*, from Old French *minute* (“a minute, a small portion”), from Latin *minūta* (“minute portion”), feminine of *minūtus* (“small, minute”), past participle of *minuō* (“to lessen, diminish”).
The word 'minute' (as a unit of time) has been used since the 14th century, gradually evolving from a small unit of time to a standard measurement. The usage of 'minutes' to describe a meeting record emerged later, in the 17th century.
Memory tip
Think of a small, precise measurement. A minute is a tiny slice of time.
Word Origin
"small, minute, diminished"