Word of the Day

: August 22, 2010

minuscule

adjective MIN-uh-skyool

What It Means

1 : written in or in the size or style of lowercase letters

2 : very small

minuscule in Context

As the director of a tiny nonprofit organization, Julie is adept at managing expenses while working within the restraints of a minuscule budget.

Did You Know?

"Minuscule" derives from the Latin adjective "minusculus," which means "rather small." The "minuscule" spelling is consistent with the word's etymology, but since the 19th century, people have also been spelling it "miniscule," perhaps because they associate it with the combining form "mini-" and words such 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. ]>