Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

minuscule


Listen Later

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2025 is:

minuscule • \MIN-uh-skyool\  • adjective

Something described as minuscule is very small. Minuscule can also mean "written in, or in the size or style of, lowercase letters," in which case it can be contrasted with majuscular.

// The number of bugs in the latest version of the video game is minuscule compared to the number that surfaced in the beta version.

// The ancient manuscripts on display are all in minuscule script.

See the entry >

Examples:

"Resembling a stout field mouse, B. brevicauda is a tiny burrowing mammal with inconspicuous ears and minuscule eyes well hidden behind a long narrow snout." — Bill Schutt, Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans, 2024

Did you know?

Minuscule comes from the Latin adjective minusculus ("somewhat smaller" or "fairly small"), which in turn pairs the base of minus ("smaller") with -culus, a diminutive suffix (that is, one indicating small size). The minuscule spelling is consistent with the word’s etymology, but that didn’t stop English speakers from adopting the variant spelling miniscule, likely because they associated it with the combining form mini- and such words as minimal and minimum. Usage commentators generally consider the miniscule spelling an error, but it is widely used in reputable and carefully edited publications, and is accepted as a legitimate variant in some dictionaries. (Our own dictionary identifies miniscule as a "disputed spelling variant.")



...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Merriam-Webster's Word of the DayBy Merriam-Webster

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,160 ratings


More shows like Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

View all
Speak English with ESLPod.com - Learn English Fast by ESLPod.com

Speak English with ESLPod.com - Learn English Fast

2,511 Listeners

TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,418 Listeners

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

2,831 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

1,367 Listeners

Learn English | EnglishClass101.com by EnglishClass101.com

Learn English | EnglishClass101.com

857 Listeners

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English by RealLife English

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English

508 Listeners

All Ears English Podcast by Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan

All Ears English Podcast

2,279 Listeners

Round Table China by China Plus

Round Table China

150 Listeners

Daily Easy English Expression Podcast by Coach Shane

Daily Easy English Expression Podcast

840 Listeners

IELTS Energy English 7+ by Lindsay McMahon, Jessica Beck, Aubrey Carter

IELTS Energy English 7+

430 Listeners

Real English Conversations Podcast - Learn to Speak & Understand Real English with Confidence! by Real English Conversations: Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies - English Podcast

Real English Conversations Podcast - Learn to Speak & Understand Real English with Confidence!

413 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,323 Listeners

The InFluency Podcast by Hadar Shemesh

The InFluency Podcast

357 Listeners

Confident Business English by Anna Connelly

Confident Business English

143 Listeners

Business English from All Ears English by Lindsay McMahon

Business English from All Ears English

72 Listeners