538 M I N 
MIN'HENOIT, a village in Cornwall, on the river Loo, 
not far eaft from Lilkeard. This place is noted for pro¬ 
ducing good dates for covering houfes. 
MIN'HO, [faid to derive its name from minium, or 
vermilion, found in its neighbourhood.] A river of Spain, 
that riles on the eaft of the Sierra Mondonado, in the 
province of Galicia, receives the waters of the Cuytella 
and the Ouaria, palfes to Lugo, receives the Chouro, and 
at San Martino de Coba the Sil, and then, purfuing the 
boundary of Galicia, leparates it from Portugal, whence 
it proceeds and falls into the ocean near the port of Guar- 
dia ; its courfe is about fifty-two leagues. 
MINHOANG', a town of China, of the third rank, in 
the province of Ho-nan : thirty miles weft-fouth-weft of 
Tchan. 
MIN'IA, a river of Samogitia, which runs into the 
Curifch Haft'eight miles north-north-weft of Rufs. 
MIN'IAC, a town of France, in the department of 
the I lie and Vilaine : fix miles north-eaft of Dinan, and 
nine fouth of St. Malo. 
MINI'ACI, or Casalino, a town of Sicily, in the 
Valley of Demona: ten miles fouth-weft of Randazzo. 
MINIAMIN', [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MIN'IARD, adj. Soft; dainty. See Migniard, p. 351. 
To MIN'IARDIZE, v. a.' [mignareKfer, Fr.] To render 
foft, delicate, or dainty.—Choice of words, and foftnefs 
of pronunciation, proceeding from fuch wanton fpirits 
that did miniardize and make the language more dainty 
and feminine. Howell's Letters, iv. 19. 
To MIN'IATE, v. a. [miniare, Ital. from minium.\ To 
paint or tinge with vermilion.—The initials are written 
or flourilhed in red and blue, and all the capitals in the 
body of the text are miniated with a pen. Warton's Hift. 
E. P. 
MINIA'TO (St.), a town of Etruria, on the Arno, the 
lee of a bilhop, containing four churches befides the ca¬ 
thedral and nine convents: twenty miles weft of Florence. 
Lat. 43.44. N. Ion. 10.49^ E. 
MIN'IATURE, J’. [miniature, Fr. miniatura, Ital. from 
miniare .1 Painting by powders mixed with gum and water. 
A mode of painting almoft appropriated to Ifnall figures. 
See Painting. —Representation in a fmall compafs ; re- 
prefentation lefs than the reality.—The water, with twen¬ 
ty bubbles, not content to have the pifture of their face 
in large, would in each of thefe bubbles let forth the mi¬ 
niature of them. Sidney. 
The hidden ways 
Of nature would’ft thou know? how firft Ihe frames 
All things in miniature ? thy fpecular orb 
Apply to well-diffe&ed kernels : lo ! 
Strange forms arifie, in each 4 little plant 
LTnfolds its boughs : obferve the /lender threads 
Of firft-beginning trees, their roots, their leaves, 
In narrow feeds defcrib’d. Phillips. 
Red letter: rubric diftinftion.—If the names of other 
laints are diftinguilhed with miniature, her’s [the blelfed 
Virgin’s] ought to Ihine in gold. Hickes's Sermons. 
MINIATURE, adj. Reprelented lefs than reality; 
done in miniature. 6 lay. 
MINICULA'TOR, f. Among the Romans, a fervant 
who embellilhed any writing with minium. 
MIN'IET EBN KA'SIB, a town of Egypt, and capi¬ 
tal of a diftridt on the weft fide of the Nile : twenty-two 
miles fouth of Abu Girge, and fourteen north of Alh- 
munein. 
MIN'IET RA'FIINE, a town of Egypt: fix miles fouth 
of Gizeh. 
MIN'IET SELAME, a town of Egypt: ten miles fouth 
of Faoua. 
MIN'IET SEM'ENNUD, a town of Egypt: eight miles 
fouth of Manfora. 
MIN'IKIN, adj. Small; diminutive. Ufed in flight 
contempt. Johnfon.- — In this cafe, the word may be from 
the Gothic min, little. But our old lexicography refers 
M 1 N 
minikin to elegant. Barret’s Alv. 1580, And, under e/e- 
ga?it, combines “ neat, pretty, minikin, trim, handfome, 
&c.” It thus feems to have been adopted from the French 
mignon. Todd. 
Sleepeft or wakeft thou, jolly fhepherd, 
Thy fheep be in the corn ; 
And for one blaft of thy minikin mouth, 
Thy fheep fhall take no harm. Shahcjpeare's King Lear. 
MIN'IKIN, f. A darling; a favourite.— Minnekin, now 
minx, is a nice trifling girl; minnock is apparently a 
word of contempt. Johnfon's Note on Midf. Nights Dream. 
—A fmall fort of pins. 
MIN'IM, f [from minimus, Lat.] A fmall being ; a 
dwarf: 
Not all 
Minims of nature ; fome of ferpent-kind, 
Wondrous in length, and corpulence, involv'd 
Their fnaky fqlds, and added wings. Milton's Par. Loft, 
Anciently, the fhorteft note in mufic; now, equal to two 
crotchets. Dr. Johnfon gives minum for this ; but minim 
is correct; though minum is not a falfe or unexifting word, 
as Mr. Mafon infinuates in his hafty corredfion of Dr. 
Johnfon : Cotgrave writes it minum. —He fights as you 
fing prick-fong, keeps time, diftance, and proportion ; 
refts me his minim reft, one, two, and the third in your 
bofom. ShaheJ'pcare's Romeo and Juliet. —A little fong or 
poem : 
Pardon thy fhepheard, mongft fo many layes 
As he hath fung of thee in all his dayes. 
To make one minima of thy poore handnjayd. Spenfer. 
An order of religious, inftituted’about the year 1440 by 
St. Francis de Paulo, confirmed in 1473 by Sixtus IV. and 
by Julius II. in 1 507.—Thefe have improved on the hu¬ 
mility of the Minors, by terming themfelves Minimi, or 
Minims, q. d. leaft, or fmalleft. Chambers. 
MIN'IMA, J\ in philofophical language ; fmall parti¬ 
cles ; corpufcles, or atoms. 
MIN'IMENT, f. [from muniment.'] — Miniments are the 
evidences or writings, whereby a man is enabled to defend 
the title of his eftate. This word miniment includes all 
manner of evidences. Cowel. —Proof; teftimony : 
By chance he certain miniments forth drew, 
Which yet with him as relickes did abide. 
Of all the bounty which Belphcebe threw 
On him, whilft goodly grace Ihe did him lliew. Spenfer. 
MIN'IMUM,/ [Latin.] The fmalleft quantity poflible* 
See Maximum. 
MIN'IMUS, f [Latin.] A being of the leaft fize : 
Get you gone, you dwarf, 
You minimus, of hindering knot-grafs made ; 
You bead, you acorn. Shakefpeare. 
MI'NIN G,f. See the article Mine, p.4.28-431. 
MIN'IO, in ancient geography, now Minogne, a river 
of Etruria, falling into the Tyrrhene Sea. 
MINIOG'RAPHY, f. [from the Lat. minium, vermi¬ 
lion, and the Gr. ygc&tpw, to write.] Writing done with 
vermilion. Scott. 
MIN'ION, f. [mignon, Fr. from the Germ, minnen, to 
love. Our word was formerly written both mignon and 
mignion.] A favourite ; a darling ; a low dependent; one 
who pleafes rather than benefits. A word of contempt, 
or of flight and familiar kindnefs.— Minion, faid Ihe ; in¬ 
deed I was a pretty one in thofe days ; I fee a number of 
lads that love you. Sidney. —One, who had been a lpecial 
minion of Andromanas, hated us for having difpoffeffed, 
him of her heart. Sidney. —Edward fent one army into 
Ireland ; not for conqueft, but to guard the perfon of his 
minion Piers Gavefton. Davies. —The ruling corruption 
of his mind, the peculiar minion of his affections, was 
worldlinefs. South's Sermons. —If a man ihould launch 
into the hiftory of human nature, we Ihould find the very 
minions 
