minimum

See also: Minimum

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin minimum, neuter form of minimus (“least, smallest”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ɪ.məm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ə.məm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

minimum (plural minima or minimums)

1. The lowest limit.

   We prefer candidates with a minimum of 4 years experience in the field.

   We need a minimum of three staff members on duty at all time.

2. The smallest amount.
   • 2021 April 16, Judy Berman, “Kate Winslet's Mare of Easttown Is the Rare Crime Drama That Cares About Its Characters”, in Time‎^[1]:

     Realism might be the hardest aesthetic to do well. The performances have to be genuinely moving and the setting vividly evoked; bonkers twists must be kept to a minimum.

   He always tries to get away with doing the minimum.

   Please keep noise to a minimum after 11 o'clock

3. (astronomy) A period of minimum brightness or energy intensity (of a star).

   The Maunder minimum of the Sun reportedly corresponded to a period of great cold on Earth.

4. (mathematical analysis) A lower bound of a set which is also an element of that set.
5. (statistics) The smallest member of a batch or sample or the lower bound of a probability distribution.

Usage notes

• Minima is more common plural for the technical senses.

Antonyms

• maximum

Hypernyms

• (statistics): measure of location
• extremum

Derived terms

terms derived from minimum

• bare minimum
• global minimum
• local minimum

• Maunder minimum
• minimum wage
• moral minimum

Related terms

• minimal
• minimize, minimise

Translations

lowest limit

• Bulgarian: минимум (bg) m (minimum)
• Burmese: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: mínim (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最小 (zh) (zuìxiǎo), 最低 (zh) (zuìdī), 極小 (zh), 极小 (zh) (jíxiǎo), 最小值 (zh) (zuìxiǎozhí) (lowest value)

• Czech: minimum (cs) n
• Esperanto: minimumo
• Finnish: minimi (fi), alaraja
• French: minimum (fr) m
• Georgian: მინიმუმი (minimumi), არანაკლები (aranaḳlebi), სულ მცირე (sul mcire), სულ ცოტა (sul coṭa)
• German: Minimum (de) n, Mindestmaß n
• Greek: ελάχιστο όριο n (eláchisto ório), κατώτατο όριο n (katótato ório)
• Hebrew: מִינִימוּם‎ m (minimum), מִזְעָר‎ (he) m (miz'ár), מִצְעָר‎ (he) m (mitz'ár)
• Icelandic: lágmark n
• Ido: minimo (io)
• Italian: minimo (it) m

• Japanese: 最小 (ja) (さいしょう, saishō), 最低 (ja) (さいてい, saitei), 極小 (きょくしょう, kyokushō)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: minimum (la)
• Maori: mōkito
• Persian: حداقل‎ (fa) (hadd-e-aqall), مینیمم‎ (minimom)
• Portuguese: mínimo (pt) m
• Romanian: minimum (ro), minim (ro) n
• Russian: ми́нимум (ru) m (mínimum)
• Slovak: minimum n
• Spanish: mínimo (es)
• Swedish: minimum (sv) n
• Tagalog: kubdulan
• Telugu: కనిష్టం (kaniṣṭaṁ)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: en az, en düşük
• Vietnamese: tối thiểu (vi)
• Volapük: minum

Adjective

minimum (not comparable)

1. To the lowest degree.

   Synonym: minimal

Translations

lowest degree

• Bulgarian: минимален (bg) (minimalen)
• Burmese: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: mínim (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最小 (zh) (zuìxiǎo), 最低 (zh) (zuìdī), 極小 (zh), 极小 (zh) (jíxiǎo)

• Czech: minimální (cs) m or m pl or f or f pl or n or n pl
• Finnish: minimi-, minimaalinen (fi), mahdollisimman pieni
• French: minimum (fr)
• German: minimal (de)
• Greek: ελάχιστος (el) m (eláchistos), κατώτατος (el) m (katótatos)
• Ido: minima (io)

• Italian: minimo (it)
• Japanese: 最小 (ja) (さいしょう, saishō), 最低 (ja) (さいてい, saitei), 極小 (きょくしょう, kyokushō)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: mínimo (pt)
• Russian: минима́льный (ru) (minimálʹnyj)
• Slovak: minimálna f, minimálny m, minimálne n, minimálni m pl, minimálne m pl or f pl or n pl
• Spanish: mínimo (es)
• Tagalog: kubdulin
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

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Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɪnɪmum]

Noun

minimum n

1. minimum

   Antonym: maximum

Declension

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	minimum	minima
genitive	minima	minim
dative	minimu	minimům
accusative	minimum	minima
vocative	minimum	minima
locative	minimu	minimech
instrumental	minimem	minimy

Related terms

• See minus
• minimalismus
• minimalista
• minimalizace
• minimalizovat
• minimální

Further reading

• minimum in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• minimum in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin minimum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niˌmʏm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mi‧ni‧mum

Noun

minimum n (plural minima)

1. minimum

Derived terms

• bestaansminimum
• minimumleeftijd
• minimumloon

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mi.ni.mɔm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔm
• Homophone: minimums

Noun

minimum m (plural minima)

1. minimum

Usage notes

• The 1990 spelling reform recommends that the plural of minimum should be minimums.

Derived terms

• au minimum
• minimum syndical
• salaire minimum
• strict minimum

Further reading

• “minimum”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Latin

Adjective

minimum

1. accusative masculine singular of minimus
2. nominative neuter singular of minimus
3. accusative neuter singular of minimus
4. vocative neuter singular of minimus

References

• “minimum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• minimum in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin minimum

Noun

minimum n (definite singular minimumet, indefinite plural minima or minimumer, definite plural minimaene or minimuma or minimumene)

1. minimum

Antonyms

• maksimum

Derived terms

• minimumskrav

References

• “minimum” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin minimum

Noun

minimum n (definite singular minimumet, indefinite plural minimum, definite plural minimuma)

1. minimum

Antonyms

• maksimum

Derived terms

• minimumskrav

References

• “minimum” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin minimum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmi.ɲi.mum/, (colloquial) /miˈɲi.mum/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -imum
• Syllabification: mi‧ni‧mum

Adverb

minimum (not comparable)

1. at least

   Synonym: co najmniej

Noun

minimum n

1. minimum

   Antonym: maksimum

Declension

Declension of minimum

	singular	plural
nominative	minimum	minima
genitive	minimum	minimów
dative	minimum	minimom
accusative	minimum	minima
instrumental	minimum	minimami
locative	minimum	minimach
vocative	minimum	minima

Further reading

• minimum in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• minimum in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Romanian

Etymology

From Latin minimum

Noun

minimum n (uncountable)

1. minimum (lowest limit)
2. minimum, modicum (small quantity)

Declension

declension of minimum (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) minimum	minimumul
genitive/dative	(unui) minimum	minimumului
vocative	minimumule

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mǐnimum/
• Hyphenation: mi‧ni‧mum

Noun

mìnimum m (Cyrillic spelling мѝнимум)

1. minimum

Declension

Declension of minimum

	singular	plural
nominative	minimum	minimumi
genitive	minimuma	minimuma
dative	minimumu	minimumima
accusative	minimum	minimume
vocative	minimume	minimumi
locative	minimumu	minimumima
instrumental	minimumom	minimumima

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Swedish

Noun

minimum n

1. minimum

Declension

Declension of minimum
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	minimum	minimumet	minimum	minimumen
Genitive	minimums	minimumets	minimums	minimumens