Definition of MINUTIAE

How to Pronounce Minutia and Minutiae

Minutiae, we’ve established, is the plural of minutia and also far more common in prose than the singular minutia. There is, however, confusion over the pronunciation of both the singular and the plural, and the confusion may be leading some to use the singular minutia where the plural minutiae is called for. Minutia, the singular, is generally pronounced \muh-NOO-shee-uh\ or \muh-NOO-shuh\, and the plural minutiae should be properly pronounced \muh-NOO-shee-ee\. But transcripts of spoken English show that this is not always adhered to: minutia shows up in transcribed speech far more often than it does in edited writing, and usually in places where one would expect minutiae. This leads us to believe that the pronunciation of minutiae is merging with the pronunciation of minutia, or that minutia is being re-analyzed as a zero plural.

Minutia Has Latin Roots

Minutia was borrowed into English in the late 18th century from the Latin plural noun minutiae, meaning "trifles" or "details" and derived from the singular noun minutia, meaning "smallness." In English, minutia is most often used in the plural as either minutiae or, on occasion, as simply minutia. Latin minutia, incidentally, comes from minutus, an adjective meaning "small" that was created from the verb minuere, meaning "to lessen." A familiar descendant of minutus is minute.

Examples of minutia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Robert Caro has been knee-deep in the day-by-day minutia of the 1960s for years, ever since Lyndon B. Johnson crossed the decade’s threshold in the fourth installment of Mr. Caro’s mammoth, multivolume biography. — Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, "Robert Caro and Carnegie Hall: Revisiting the ’60s," 11 Jan. 2018 With demonstrations reaching fever pitch, the king, who is the country’s ultimate authority but portrays his role as standing above the day-to-day minutiae of domestic affairs, ordered a freeze on any price increases. — Nabih Bulos, latimes.com, "With protests rocking Jordan, king accepts resignation of prime minister, names reformer as successor," 4 June 2018 This chamber rarely sees excitement or intrigue beyond the arcane minutia of local politics. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "David Beckham confronts his biggest fight yet to (finally) bring MLS soccer to Miami," 12 July 2018 Enthusiasts can resume arguing over various aspects of Marvel minutiae then. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is goofy good fun, thanks to Paul Rudd," 3 July 2018 Warm in a way that’s detectable in the minutiae of vocal cadences and the crinkle of a smile. — Alana Massey, Curbed, "How an unexpected Airbnb guest helped me get over a breakup," 22 June 2018 Whether that means a closer look at analytics or spending more time with a trainer, players are increasingly working on the minutia of the game with modern metrics and science at the forefront of improving their play. — Christopher Hanna, courant.com, "McIlroy, Thomas Discuss Evolution of Golf in the 21st Century," 20 June 2018 The article in the journal, Battlefield Photographer — co-written by Craig Heberton IV — is loaded with the sort of minutia that has fed the study of Civil War photographs. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "On this spot: Two history buffs debunk the story of a famous Civil War photo," 7 June 2018 What may sound like one of countless bits of minutiae stoking the public's lurid fascination with the Nazi leader is in fact a piece of evidence in our historical knowledge of Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945. — Jefferson Chase, USA TODAY, "Hitler's teeth analysis dispels myths of Nazi leader's survival," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'minutia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.