mince
mince Lexical Profile
mince Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To cut, chop, or grind food, especially meat, herbs, or garlic, into very small pieces.
"The recipe instructs you to mince two cloves of garlic before sautéing the onions."
To soften, moderate, or restrain one's words to seem polite or avoid giving offense (usually used in negative expressions such as 'not mince words').
"The auditor did not mince her words when presenting the financial discrepancies to the board."
To walk with short, quick, affectedly dainty steps.
"He watched the puddle carefully and had to mince along the narrow curb to keep his shoes dry."
• noun
British Meat, especially beef or lamb, that has been finely chopped or ground using a mechanical mincer.
"She browned a pound of beef mince in the skillet to make the shepherd's pie."
An affected, dainty, or short-stepped walk.
"The actor adopted an exaggerated mince to portray the pompous courtier on stage."
• Rhymes for mince
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old French 'mincier' (to cut into small pieces), which derives from Vulgar Latin '*minutiare', ultimately from Latin 'minutus' (small or diminished).