minimum

See also Minimum

English

Etymology

From Latin minimus (“least, smallest”)

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

minimum (plural minimums or minima)

1. The lowest limit.

   We prefer candidates with a minimum of 4 years experience in the field.

   We need a minimum of 3 fully-qualified staff members on duty at all time.

2. The smallest amount.

   He always tries to get away with doing the minimum.

   Please keep noise to a minimum after 11 o'clock

3. (astronomy) A period of minimum brightness or energy intensity (of a star).

   The Maunder minimum of the Sun reportedly corresponded to a period of great cold on Earth.

4. (analysis) A lower bound of a set which is also an element of that set.
5. (statistics) The smallest member of a batch or sample or the lower bound of a probability distribution.

Usage notes

• Minima is more common plural for the technical senses.

Antonyms

• maximum

Hypernyms

• (statistics): measure of location

Derived terms

terms derived from minimum

bare minimum global minimum local minimum

Maunder minimum minimum wage moral minimum

Related terms

• minimize

Translations

lowest limit

Chinese: 最小 (zui xiao, zui4 xiao3), 極小值 (zuixiaozhi, zui4xiao3zhi2) Czech: minimum (cs) n. Esperanto: minimumo (eo) Finnish: minimi (fi) French: minimum (fr) German: Minimum (de) n. Italian: minimo (it) m. Japanese: 最小 (saishou), 最低 (saitei), 極小 (kyokushou)

Latin: minimum (la) Romanian: minimum (ro) Russian: минимум (ru) (mínimum) m. Swedish: minimum (sv) n. Telugu: కనిష్టం (kanishTaM) Vietnamese: tối thiểu (vi) Volapük: minum (vo)

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Czech

Noun

minimum n.

1. minimum

Antonyms

• maximum

Related terms

• minimalismus
• minimalista
• minimalizace
• minimalizovat
• minimální

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mi.ni.mɔm/, X-SAMPA: /mi.ni.mOm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔm
• Homophone: minimums

Noun

minimum m. (plural minimums or minima)

1. minimum

Derived terms

• minimum syndical

Usage notes

• The 1990 spelling reform recommends that the plural of minimum should be minimums.

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Latin

Adjective

minimum

1. nominative neuter singular of minimus

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mǐnimum/
• Hyphenation: mi‧ni‧mum

Noun

mìnimum m. (Cyrillic spelling мѝнимум)

1. minimum

Declension

    declension of minimum

	singular	plural
nominative	minimum	minimumi
genitive	minimuma	minimuma
dative	minimumu	minimumima
accusative	minimum	minimume
vocative	minimume	minimumi
locative	minimumu	minimumima
instrumental	minimumom	minimumima

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Swedish

Noun

minimum n.

1. minimum

Declension

Declension of minimum

	singular		plural
Neuter	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	minimum	minimumet	minimum	minimumen
genitive	minimums	minimumets	minimums	minimumens