minuo

Latin

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *minuō, from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”), either *mi-néw-ti^[1] or *mi-néh₁-ti. Cognate with Sanskrit मीनाति (minā́ti, “to lessen, diminish, damage”) (also मिनोति (minóti)), Ancient Greek μινύθω (minúthō, “to lessen; to disappear”), Cornish minow (“to reduce”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (mins, “less”), Old Church Slavonic мьнйии (mĭnjii, “smaller, lesser, younger”), Tocharian B maiwe (“small, young”).^[2] Related to minor.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.nu.oː/, [ˈmɪnuoː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.nu.o/, [ˈmiːnuo]

Verb

minuō (present infinitive minuere, perfect active minuī, supine minūtum); third conjugation

to make smaller, lessen, diminish, reduce
Synonyms: diminuō, dēminuō, imminuō, tenuō, premō, corripiō

Antonyms: augeō, amplificō, extendō, accumulō, cumulō, multiplicō
to attenuate, appease, suppress, repress, quell
Synonym: coerceo
to dismember, tear apart, break
Synonyms: findo, rumpo
to restrict, confine, limit
Synonyms: fīniō, līmitō, delīmitō, claudō, urgeō, moderor, inclūdō

animos minuere ― to restrict the wrath
to remove, subtract, detract
to reduce the importance
to undermine, weaken, debilitate, soften
Synonyms: atterō, dēterō, frangō, effēminō, tenuō, cōnsūmō, afficiō

Antonyms: firmō, cōnfirmō, mūniō, fortificō, cōnsolidō, sistō
to eliminate, delete, remove
(poetic) to cease, stop, give up

Conjugation

Conjugation of minuō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular			plural
indicative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	minuō	minuis	minuit	minuimus	minuitis	minuunt
	imperfect	minuēbam	minuēbās	minuēbat	minuēbāmus	minuēbātis	minuēbant
	future	minuam	minuēs	minuet	minuēmus	minuētis	minuent
	perfect	minuī	minuistī	minuit	minuimus	minuistis	minuērunt, minuēre
	pluperfect	minueram	minuerās	minuerat	minuerāmus	minuerātis	minuerant
	future perfect	minuerō	minueris	minuerit	minuerimus	minueritis	minuerint
passive	present	minuor	minueris, minuere	minuitur	minuimur	minuiminī	minuuntur
	imperfect	minuēbar	minuēbāris, minuēbāre	minuēbātur	minuēbāmur	minuēbāminī	minuēbantur
	future	minuar	minuēris, minuēre	minuētur	minuēmur	minuēminī	minuentur
	perfect	minūtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	minūtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	minūtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
subjunctive		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	minuam	minuās	minuat	minuāmus	minuātis	minuant
imperfect	minuerem	minuerēs	minueret	minuerēmus	minuerētis	minuerent
perfect	minuerim	minuerīs	minuerit	minuerīmus	minuerītis	minuerint
pluperfect	minuissem	minuissēs	minuisset	minuissēmus	minuissētis	minuissent
passive	present	minuar	minuāris, minuāre	minuātur	minuāmur	minuāminī	minuantur
imperfect	minuerer	minuerēris, minuerēre	minuerētur	minuerēmur	minuerēminī	minuerentur
perfect	minūtus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect	minūtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	minue	—	—	minuite	—
active	future	—	minuitō	minuitō	—	minuitōte	minuuntō
passive	present	—	minuere	—	—	minuiminī	—
passive	future	—	minuitor	minuitor	—	—	minuuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		minuere	minuisse	minūtūrum esse	minuī	minūtum esse	minūtum īrī
participles		minuēns	—	minūtūrus	—	minūtus	minuendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		minuendī	minuendō	minuendum	minuendō	minūtum	minūtū

Descendants

(See also etymology 2.)

→ French: minuer
→ Interlingua: minuer
→ Italian: minuire
→ Portuguese: minuir
→ Spanish: minuir

References

^ Ringe, Donald (2006) From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[1], Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 139
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “minor, -or, -us”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 381–382

“minuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
minuo in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
“minuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
minuo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
- to increase a person's dignity: auctoritatem alicuius amplificare (opp. imminuere, minuere)
- to weaken, diminish a person's hope: spem alicui or alicuius minuere
- to retrench: sumptum minuere

Etymology 2

Reassignment of etymology 1 to the first conjugation. Attested from the fourth century CE.^[1]

Verb

minuō (present infinitive minuāre, perfect active minuāvī, supine minuātum); first conjugation (Late Latin)

Alternative form of minuō

Conjugation

Conjugation of minuō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular			plural
indicative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	minuō	minuās	minuat	minuāmus	minuātis	minuant
	imperfect	minuābam	minuābās	minuābat	minuābāmus	minuābātis	minuābant
	future	minuābō	minuābis	minuābit	minuābimus	minuābitis	minuābunt
	perfect	minuāvī	minuāvistī	minuāvit	minuāvimus	minuāvistis	minuāvērunt, minuāvēre
	pluperfect	minuāveram	minuāverās	minuāverat	minuāverāmus	minuāverātis	minuāverant
	future perfect	minuāverō	minuāveris	minuāverit	minuāverimus	minuāveritis	minuāverint
passive	present	minuor	minuāris, minuāre	minuātur	minuāmur	minuāminī	minuantur
	imperfect	minuābar	minuābāris, minuābāre	minuābātur	minuābāmur	minuābāminī	minuābantur
	future	minuābor	minuāberis, minuābere	minuābitur	minuābimur	minuābiminī	minuābuntur
	perfect	minuātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	minuātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	minuātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
subjunctive		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	minuem	minuēs	minuet	minuēmus	minuētis	minuent
imperfect	minuārem	minuārēs	minuāret	minuārēmus	minuārētis	minuārent
perfect	minuāverim	minuāverīs	minuāverit	minuāverīmus	minuāverītis	minuāverint
pluperfect	minuāvissem	minuāvissēs	minuāvisset	minuāvissēmus	minuāvissētis	minuāvissent
passive	present	minuer	minuēris, minuēre	minuētur	minuēmur	minuēminī	minuentur
imperfect	minuārer	minuārēris, minuārēre	minuārētur	minuārēmur	minuārēminī	minuārentur
perfect	minuātus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect	minuātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	minuā	—	—	minuāte	—
active	future	—	minuātō	minuātō	—	minuātōte	minuantō
passive	present	—	minuāre	—	—	minuāminī	—
passive	future	—	minuātor	minuātor	—	—	minuantor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		minuāre	minuāvisse	minuātūrum esse	minuārī	minuātum esse	minuātum īrī
participles		minuāns	—	minuātūrus	—	minuātus	minuandus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		minuandī	minuandō	minuandum	minuandō	minuātum	minuātū

Descendants

Italo-Romance:
- Italian: menovare (archaic)
Gallo-Romance:
- Catalan: minvar
- ⇒ Occitan: demingar
- Old Gascon: mingar
  - ⇒ Gascon: demingar, dimingar
- ⇒ Old Occitan: menuensa (hapax)
Ibero-Romance:
- Aragonese: minguar
- Asturian: menguar
- Old Galician-Portuguese: menguar, minguar, mengar, mingar
  - Galician: minguar
  - Portuguese: minguar
- Spanish: menguar

References

^ Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “mĭnuĕre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 6/2: Mercatio–Mneme, page 126

Serbo-Croatian

Participle

minuo (Cyrillic spelling минуо)

masculine singular active past participle of minuti

[1] Ringe, Donald (2006) From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[1], Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 139

[2] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “minor, -or, -us”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 381–382

[3] Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “mĭnuĕre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 6/2: Mercatio–Mneme, page 126

[1]

[2]

[1]