minuscule
minuscule Lexical Profile
minuscule Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Extremely small; tiny; minute in size, amount, or scale.
"Only a minuscule fraction of the original manuscript survived the library fire."
Of, relating to, or written in lowercase letters or a small medieval cursive script, as opposed to majuscule (capital) letters.
"The ninth-century scribe copied the entire Latin text in neat minuscule lettering."
• noun
A small, lowercase letter, or a medieval cursive script developed in the 7th to 9th centuries from which modern lowercase letters evolved.
"Carolingian minuscule standardized punctuation and word spacing across medieval European manuscripts."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because of its association with the prefix "mini-", the word is frequently misspelled as "miniscule"; while some modern dictionaries record "miniscule" as a common variant, "minuscule" (derived from Latin "minus") remains the preferred standard spelling in formal writing.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 18th century from French minuscule, from Latin minusculus ('somewhat smaller'), a diminutive of minor ('less'). Originally a paleographical term referring to small medieval handwriting developed in contrast to majuscule (capital) letters, it gained its broader sense of 'extremely small' in the late 19th century.