minutia en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (UK) audio
- /məˈn(j)uːʃ(iː)ə/
- /maɪ̯ˈn(j)uːʃ(iː)ə/
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin minutia, from minūtus (“small, little”), from minuō (“make smaller”). By surface analysis, minute + -ia.
Meanings
-
A minor detail, often of negligible importance.
I think I can ſee the preciſe and diſtinguiſhing marks of national characters more in theſe nonſenſical minutiæ, than in the moſt important matters of ſtate ; where great men of all nations talk and ſtalk ſo much alike, that I would not give ninepence to chuſe amongſt them.
1768, Mr. Yorick [pseudonym; Laurence Sterne], A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy, 2nd edition, volume I, London: T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, published 1768, page 159:They spent all their time on minutiae, never making real progress.
- (qualifier:forensics) Any of the point features on fingerprints used for matching, usually endings and bifurcations of ridges.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| minutiae | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| minutiæ | Number=Plur | obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (19)
es minucia (minor detail) · de Einzelheit (minor detail) · ca minuciositat (minor detail) · eo detaleto (minor detail) · de Detail (minor detail) · es mezquindad (minor detail) · he פרטי פרטים (minor detail) · ca minúcia (minor detail) · pl drobiazg (minor detail) · da petitesse (minor detail) · ja 枝葉末節 (minor detail) · et pisidetail (minor detail) · io detaleto (minor detail) · fr petit détail (minor detail) · de Kleinigkeit (minor detail) · de winziges Detail (minor detail) · de Nebensächlichkeit (minor detail) · fi pikkuseikka (minor detail) · hu (apró/aprólékos) részletek (minor detail)