mint 
Master of the mint, an officer in the English adminis- 
tration who presided over the mint. The office has been 
abolished, the mint being now under the direct control of 
the chancellor of the exchequer. Warden of the mint, 
formerly, an officer of the English mint next in rank to 
the master. He collected the seigniorage, and superin- 
tended the manufacture of the coins. 
mint 1 (mint), v. 1. [< ME. "niinten, *iyntcn, < 
AS. mynetian (= OS. munitoit = OPries. mon- 
tia, miintiri = D. MLG. mnfe>t = OHG. munison, 
MHG. G. miinzen = Sw. mynta = Dan. mynte), 
com,<)#ei, acoin: seeminft,n.] 1. Tocoin; 
stamp and convert into money. 
Siluer and gold coyne, then mynted of purpose, was 
cast among the people in great quantitie. 
JJakluyt's Voyages, I. 467. 
A sovereign prince calls in the good old money ... to 
be new marked and minted. Lamb, Elia, p. 218. 
2. To invent ; forge ; fabricate. 
Look into the titles whereby they hold those new por- 
tions of the crown, and you will find them of such natures 
as may be easily minted. Bacon, War with Spain. 
And such mint [minted I phrase, as 'tis the worst of canting, 
By how much It affects the sense it has not. 
B. Jonson, Staple of News, iv. 1. 
A full catalogue of exotic words, such as are daily minted 
by our Logodffidali. Evelyn, To Sir Peter Wyche. 
mint 2 (mint), n. [< ME. minte, mynte, mente, < 
AS. minte = MD. D. mtmt = LG. mynte, minte 
= OHG. minsa, munza, MHG. G. mime, miinze 
Icel. minta = Sw. mynta = Dan. mynte (= 
F. mentlie, > Sp. It. menta), < L. mcnta, mentha, 
< Gr. [tivffa, fuvOq, mint.] 1 . A plant of the genus 
Mentha. The most familiar species are the peppermint, 
M. piperita, and the spearmint (garden-mint, mackerel- 
mint), M. viridis, well known as medicines and condi- 
ments. The bergamot-mint, affording a perfumers' oil, 
is M. aquatica; the crisped or curled mint, the variety 
crispa of the same. The water-mint (or brook-mint) of 
older usage was M. sylvestris, now called horsemint. The 
corn-mint is M. arvensis. The pennyroyal-mint or penny- 
royal is M. Pulegium thsit is, flea-mint. The whorled 
mint is SI. saliva; the wild mint of the United States, M. 
Canadensis. See cut under Mentha. 
The mynte is in this moone ysowe. 
Palladium, Hushondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 192. 
Then rubb'd it o'er with newly gather'd mint, 
A wholesome herb, that breatn'd a grateful scent. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., viii. 88. 
2. One of several other, mostly labiate, plants 
with mint-like properties. Compare catmint. 
Green mint, a cordial flavored with peppermint Mint 
julep. See julep. 
mint 3 (mint), v. i. [< ME. minten, menten, myn- 
ten, < AS. myntan, gemyntan, mean, intend, 
purpose, think, suppose, < munan (pres. man), 
think, consider, remember: see mine 3 , mind*-.] 
1. To aim; purpose; endeavor. [Old Eng. and 
Scotch.] 
Wyth grete wrath he can mynte, 
But he fayled of hys dynte. 
MS. Cantab. Ft ii. 88, f. 189. (HalKwett.) 
They that mint at a gown of gold will always get a sleeve 
of it. Scott, Monastery, xvii. 
2. To insinuate; hint. [Scotch.] 
mintage (min'taj), . [< mint 1 + -age. Cf. F. 
monnayage = It! monetaggio, < ML. monetagium, 
< L. moneta, money: see money, monetage.] 1. 
The act of coining or fabricating; formation; 
production by or as if by minting. 
Few literary theories of modern mintage have more to 
recommend them. Maine, Early Law and Custom, p. 15. 
The chief place of mintage in these regions was the great 
trading and colonizing city of Miletus. 
B. V. Head, Historia Numorum, Int., p. xlvi. 
2. That which is minted, or formed by or as if 
by coining or stamping; hence, a fabrication 
or manufacture ; a coinage. 
Stamped in clay, a heavenly mintage. Sterling. 
Of one of his mintages [coined wordsl Mr. Reade is, ap- 
parently, not a little proud. F. Hall, Mod. Eng., p. 26. 
3. The charge for or cost of minting; the duty 
or allowance for coinage ; seigniorage on coins. 
Some small savings would accrue from the less amount 
of mintage required. Jevons, Money, p. 16S. 
mint-bush (mint'bush), n. A plant of the Aus- 
tralian genus Prostanthera. 
mint-drop (mint'drop), . 1. A sugar-plum fla- 
vored with peppermint. 2. A coin. [Slang, 
u. s.] 
minter (min'ter), TO. [< ME. miiiter, < AS. myne- 
tere, one who coins, one who deals in money, 
a money-changer, = OS. muniteri. a money- 
changer, = OFries. menotere, mentere, mentre, 
munter = D. munter, muntster = MLG. munter, 
= OHG. munizari, MHG. munzer, G. miinzer, a 
money-changer, = F. monnaye.w = It. monetierc, 
< LL. monetariits, a master of the mint, a coiner, 
< L. moneta, mint, money, coin : see minfl and 
money. Cf. moneyer and monetary.'] A coiner; 
one who mints or stamps coin ; hence, one who 
fabricates or makes as if by coining. 
3780 
Since priests have been minters, money hath been worse 
than it was before. Latimer, Sermon of the Plough. 
The minter must adde of other weight . . . if the siluer 
be so pure. Camden, Remains, p. 204. 
God stamped his image upon us, and so God is ... our 
minter, our statuary. Donne, Sermons, vii. 
mintht, n. An obsolete variant of mint 2 . 
The primrose, and the purple hyacinth, 
The dainty violet, and the wholesome minth. 
Peele, Arraignment of Paris, i. 1. 
mintjac(mint'jak), H. Same as muntjac. Encyc. 
Brit., XIII. 602. 
mint-julep (mint'j6'lep), n. Seejulc)). 
They were great roysters, much given to revel on hoe- 
cake and bacon, mint-julep and apple-toddy. 
Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 247. 
mintmant (mint'man), . A coiner; one skilled 
in coining or in coins. 
Let such as are to informe councils out of their particu- 
lar professions (as lawyers, sea-men, mint-men, and the 
like) be first heard before committees. 
Bacon, Of Counsel (ed. 1887). 
mint-mark (mint 'mark), n. A private mark 
put upon coins by the mint authorities for pur- 
poses of identification. Sometimes this mark indi- 
cates the place of mintage, as "S" on certain sovereigns 
of Queen Victoria, denoting that the pieces were coined 
at Sydney in Australia; sometimes it relates to the mint- 
master or other official. 
mint-master (mint'mas"ter), n. [= D. nmt- 
meexter = MHG. G. milnzmeister = Sw. mynt- 
mastare = Dan. myntmester; as minft + mas- 
ter.] 1. The master or superintendent of amint. 
That which is coined, as mintmasters confessed, is al- 
layed with about a twelfth part of copper. Boyle. 
2. One who invents or fabricates. 
That the lewes were forward Mint-Masters in this new- 
coyned Religion of Mahomet. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 283. 
Setting aside the odde coinage of your phrase, which no 
mintmaister of language would allow for sterling. 
Milton, On Def. of Humb. Remoust 
mint-sauce (mint'sas'), n. In cookery, mint 
chopped and mixed with vinegar and sugar, 
used especially as a sauce for roast lamb, 
mint-stick (mmt'stik), .. Sticks of candy fla- 
vored with peppermint. [Local, U. S.] 
The soldiers hunger for dates, flgs, mint-stick, . . . that 
the sutler keeps for sale. 
New York Tribune, June 13, 1862. (Bartlett.) 
mint-tree (mint'tre), n. A plant of the Aus- 
tralian genus Prostanthera, especially P. lasi- 
nntlios. 
mint-warden (mint'war*dn), n. See warden of 
the mint, under mint. 
mint-wMlet, " Same as minute-while. 
minuend (min'u-end), . [< L. minuendus, to 
be diminished, gerundive of minuere, lessen: 
see minute 1 .] In arith. , the number from which 
another number is to be deducted in the pro- 
cess of subtraction. 
minuet (min'u-et), n. [= Sp. minuete, minue = 
Pg. minuete =' It. minuetto, < F. menuet, a dance 
so called from the small steps taken in it, < 
menuet, smallish, little, pretty, thin (Cotgrave), 
dim. of men it. small, < L. minutus, small : see min- 
ute 1 ."] 1. A slow and graceful dance, invented, 
probably in Poitou, France, about the middle 
of the seventeenth century. Throughout the 
eighteenth century it was the most popular of 
the more stately and ceremonious dances. 2. 
Music for such a dance, or in its rhythm, which 
is triple and slow. Minuets are frequently found in 
the old suite, and also in the later sonata and symphony. 
They properly consist of two contrasted sections of six- 
teen measures each, the second of which is generally called 
a trin, because originally written for but three instru- 
ments ; but this regular form is often considerably modi- 
fled. Beethoven was the first to replace the minuet in 
the sonata and the symphony by the scherzo, which re- 
sembled the minuet somewhat in rhythm, but was more 
sprightly and unrestricted in form and spirit. 
ininumt, n. An obsolete form of minim. Cot- 
grare. 
minus (mi'nus), a. [< L. minus, neut. of minor, 
less: seeminor.] 1. Less (by a certain amount): 
followed by a noun as an apparent object (a 
preposition, by, to be supplied): as, the net 
amount is so much minus the waste or tare; 
25 minus 9 is 1 6. In algebra and arithmetic this sense 
is indicated by the sign , called the minus sign or sign 
of subtraction : as, a b = x, which is read "a minus b 
equals x " ; 25 9 = 16. 
2. Less than nothing; belonging to the in- 
verse or negative side, as of an account; lying 
in the direction from the origin of measurement 
opposite to ordinary quantities; below zero, or 
below the lowest point of positive or upward 
reckoning: as, a minus amount or sum (that is, 
an amount or sum representing loss or debt); 
a minus quantity in an equation (that is, one 
having the minus sign before it) ; the tempera- 
minute 
ture was minim twenty degrees (written 20, 
and read ' ' twenty degrees below zero ") . In some 
common mathematical phrases, minus seems to be used as 
an adverb modifying then umeral adjective. Thus astrono- 
mers speak of the year minus 584 of the Christian era, 
meaning 585 Ii. C. 
3. Marking or yielding less than nothing or less 
than zero; negative in value or result: as, the 
minus sign (see def. 1). 4. Deprived or devoid 
of; not having; without, as something neces- 
sary : as, he escaped minus his hat and coat ; a 
gun minus its lock. [Colloq. or humorous.] 
5. Lacking positive value; wanting. [Colloq.] 
His mathematics are decidedlymwms, but the use of them 
is past long ago. C. A. Bristed, English University, p. 74. 
Minus acceleration. See acceleration (b). 
minuscula (mi-nus'ku-la), .; pi. minuscul<K 
(-le). [NL.: see minuscule"] Same as minuscule. 
minuscule (mi-nus'kul), a. and n. [=F. minus- 
cule = Sp. minuscula = Pg. It. minusculo, < NL. 
minuscula (sc. littera), fern, of L. minusculus, 
rather small; dim. of minor, minus, less: see 
minor, minus. Cf. majuscule.] I. a. Small; of 
reduced form, as a letter; of or pertaining to 
writing in minuscule. 
Minuscule letters are cursive forms of the earlier uncials. 
Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, L 71. 
II. n. The kind of reduced alphabetical char- 
acter which, originating in the seventh century, 
was from about the ninth substituted in writing 
for the large uncial previously in use, and from 
which the small letter of modern Greek and Ro- 
man alphabets was derived ; hence, a small or 
lower-case letter in writing or printing, as dis- 
tinguished from a capital or majuscule. 
The minuscule arose in the 7th century as a cursive mo- 
nastic script, more legible than the old cursive, and more 
rapidly written than the uncial, and constructed by a com- 
bination of the elements of both. 
Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, II. 160. 
The period of the uncials runs from the date of the ear- 
liest specimens on papyrus to the 9th century, that of the 
minuscule from the 9th century to the invention of print- 
ing. Encyc. Brit., XVIII. 145. 
minutary (min'i-ta-ri), n. [< minute 2 , n., + 
-ary.] Consisting of minutes. [Rare.] 
This their clock gathering up the least crumb of time, 
presenting the mimttary fractions thereof. 
Fuller, Worthies, Berkshire. 
minute 1 (mi-nut'), a. [= F. menu = Pr. menut 
= Sp. memido = Pg. miudo = lt. minuto,< L. mi- 
nutus, little, small, minute, pp. of minuere, 
make smaller, lessen, diminish/ minu-, stem of 
minor, smaller, less, minimus, smallest, least: 
see minor and min 2 .] 1. Very small, diminu- 
tive, or limited; extremely little in dimensions, 
extent, or amount. 
We have also glasses and means to see small and minute 
bodies perfectly and distinctly. Bacon, New Atlantis. 
He was fond of detail no little thing was too minute 
for his delicate eye. 
Theodore Parker, Historic Americans, Washington. 
2. Very small in scope or degree ; relating to 
or consisting of small points or matters ; par- 
ticular; closely precise or exact: as, minute 
details of directions; minute criticism. 3. At- 
tending to very small particulars ; marking or 
noting little things or precise details ; very close 
or careful: as, minute observation. 
These minute philosophers . . . plunder all who come 
in their way. Berkeley, Minute Philosopher, i. 
If we wish to be very minute, we pronounce the i in the 
flrst syllable long. Walker. 
Bacon was fond of display, and unused to pay minute 
attention to domestic affairs. Mucauluy, Lord Bacon. 
Minute anatomy. See anatomy. = Syn. 1. Little, dimin- 
utive, slender, fine. 2. Circumstantial, Particular, Minute, 
exact, detailed. A circumstantial account gives the facts in 
detail ; while circumstantial may include only the leading 
circumstances, a particular account gleans more closely, 
gathering all that are of any importance or interest; a 
minute account details even the slightest facts, perhaps 
those that are trivial and tedious. 
minute 2 (min'it), n. and a. [< ME. minute, 
myniitc, mynet (in comp. also mynt-), a minute 
(of time), a moment (also a small piece of 
money), = MD. minute, D. minuut = G. minute 
= Sw. Dan. minut, < OF. minute, F. minute, f., 
= Sp. Pg. It. minuto, < LL. minutmn, a small 
portion or piece. ML., a small part (of time), a 
minute, neut. of minutus, small: see minute^."] 
1. H. If. Something very small; an unimportant 
particular; a petty detail ; a trifle; specifically, 
a mite or half-farthing. 
But whanne a pore widewe was come, sche cast two 
mynutis, that is, a ferthing. Wyclff, Mark xii. 42. 
Let me hear from thee every minute of news. 
B. Jonson, Staple of Kews, i. 2. 
Curious of minutes, and punctual in rites and ceremo- 
nials, but most negligent and incurious of judgment and 
the love of God. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), 1. 268. 
2. The sixtieth part of any unit. Especially (a) 
The sixtieth part of an hour ; loosely, a short space of time. 
