English Explanatory Dictionary

mince

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Finely chopped meat; minced meat.
  2. Finely chopped mixed fruit used in Christmas pies; mincemeat.
  3. An affected (often dainty or short and precise) gait.
  4. An affected manner, especially of speaking; an affectation.
  5. An eye (from mince pie).
  6. Something worthless; rubbish.
verb
  1. To make less; to make small.
  2. To lessen; to diminish; to diminish in speaking; to speak of lightly or slightingly; to minimise.
  3. To effect mincingly.
  4. To cut into very small pieces; to chop finely.
  5. To suppress or weaken the force of.
  6. To say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly).
  7. To affect; to pronounce affectedly or with an accent.
  8. To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner.
  9. To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.

Pronunciation

/mɪns/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-mince.wav

Word forms

mince minces minch minse mincing minced

Etymology

From Middle English mincen, minsen; partly from Old English minsian, ġeminsian (“to make less, make smaller, diminish”), from Proto-West Germanic *minnisōn, from Proto-Germanic *minnisōną (“to make less”); partly from Old French mincer, mincier (“to cut into small pieces”), from mince (“slender, slight, puny”), from Frankish *minsto, *minnisto, superlative of *min, *minn (“small, less”), from Proto-Germanic *minniz (“less”); both from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”). Cognate with Old Saxon minsōn (“to make less, make smaller”), Old Dutch minson (“to make smaller”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌶𐌽𐌰𐌽 (minznan, “to become less, diminish”), Swedish minska (“to reduce, lessen”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (mins, “slender, slight”). More at min.

Synonyms

abase abate belittle besmall bring down embase cut decrease decrement diminish foreshorten lessen lilliputianize lower mince minimize reduce shrink smallify extenuate palliate weaken

Derived words

mincy thick as mince minceable mince matters mincemeat mince one's words mince pie mincer mince up mince words minsitive
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