minuscule

¹mi·nus·cule

noun \ˈmi-nəs-ˌkyül also mi-ˈnəs-\

Definition of MINUSCULE

1

: a lowercase letter

2

a : one of several ancient and medieval writing styles developed from cursive and having simplified and small forms

b : a letter in this style

Origin of MINUSCULE

French, from Latin minusculus rather small, diminutive of minor smaller

First Known Use: 1701

Other Alphabet Terms

cuneiform, linear, pictograph, rune, symbology, wedge

²minuscule

adjective \ˈmi-nəs-ˌkyül\

Definition of MINUSCULE

1

: written in or in the size or style of minuscules

2

: very small <minuscule amounts>

Examples of MINUSCULE

1. <public health officials have claimed that the chemical is harmless in such minuscule amounts>

First Known Use of MINUSCULE

1703

Related to MINUSCULE

Synonyms

atomic, bitsy, bitty, infinitesimal, itty-bitty (or itsy-bitsy), little bitty, microminiature, microscopic (also microscopical), miniature, tiny, minute, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, wee, weeny (also weensy)

Antonyms

astronomical (also astronomic), colossal, cosmic (also cosmical), elephantine, enormous, giant, gigantic, herculean, heroic (also heroical), huge, immense, mammoth, massive, monster, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, planetary, prodigious, titanic, tremendous

Related Words

baby, diminutive, dwarf, elfin, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, micro, mini, minikin, model, petite, pocket, pocket-size (also pocket-sized), pygmy, small, smallish; dinky, dwarfish, insignificant, pint-size (or pint-sized), puny, scrubby, undersized (also undersize)

Near Antonyms

big, bulky, bumper, considerable, extensive, good, goodly, grand, great, gross, handsome, hefty, hulking, jumbo, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, major, outsize (also outsized), overgrown, overscale (or overscaled), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, super, whacking, whopping; formidable, grandiose, imposing, lofty, majestic, monolithic, staggering, stupendous, towering; boundless, cavernous, immeasurable, infinite, vast, vasty, voluminous

Other Alphabet Terms

cuneiform, linear, minuscule, pictograph, rune, symbology, wedge

Rhymes with MINUSCULE

April fool, Barnaul, blow one's cool, boarding school, charter school, common school, cutty stool, dirty pool, ducking stool, fascicule, gallinule, grammar school, graticule, groupuscule, Hartlepool, Istanbul, kilojoule, lenticule, Liverpool, machine tool, magnet school, majuscule, middle school, minischool, molecule, motor pool, normal school, nursery school, overrule, private school, public school, reform school, reticule, ridicule, summer school, Sunday school, training school, vestibule, wading pool

minuscule

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Lowercase letters in calligraphy, in contrast to majuscule, or uppercase letters. Unlike majuscules, minuscules are not fully contained between two real or hypothetical lines; their stems can go above or below the line. Developed by Alcuin in the 8th century, it allowed the division of writing into sentences and paragraphs by beginning sentences with capital letters and ending them with periods. The script was originally rounded, but gradually the strokes became heavier until it became what is now known as Gothic or black letter script.