minus

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See also: Minus and mínus

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin minus, neuter form of minor, comparative form of parvus (small, little), from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (few, small).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • enPR: mīn-əs, IPA(key): /ˈmaɪnəs/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪnəs

Preposition[edit]

minus

  1. (mathematics) Made less or reduced by (followed by an expression of number or quantity). [from 15th c.]
    seven minus two is five
    Antonym: plus
  2. (informal) Without; deprived of. [from 19th c.]
    I walked out minus my coat.
    Synonyms: lacking, without

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

minus (plural minuses)

  1. (mathematics) The minus sign (). [from 16th c.]
  2. (mathematics) A negative quantity. [from 18th c.]
  3. A downside or disadvantage. [from 20th c.]

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Adjective[edit]

minus (not comparable)

  1. Being a negative quantity; pertaining to a deficit or reduction. [from 18th c.]
    a minus number
  2. That is below zero by (a specified amount) on a scale. [from 19th c.]
    minus seven degrees
  3. (colloquial, obsolete) Worse off than before; out of pocket. [19th c.]
    • 1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, p. 301:
      The races being finished, we left Epsom for London, Mordaunt's natural vile temper not being at all improved by being three hundred pounds minus by the week's speculation [] .
  4. (postpositive) Ranking just below (a designated rating). [from 19th c.]
    He got a grade of B minus for his essay.

Synonyms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

minus (third-person singular simple present minuses, present participle minusing, simple past and past participle minused)

  1. (transitive, colloquial) To subtract. [from 20th c.]
    • 2011, Laura Christine Bofferding, Expanding the Numerical Central Conceptual Structure:
      Four plus one is 5 and you go down because it's minusing, []

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Crimean Tatar[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin minus (less).

Noun[edit]

minus

  1. minus

Declension[edit]

References[edit]

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Czech[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Derived from Latin minus, from minor.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

minus

  1. minus

Noun[edit]

minus m inan or n

  1. minus
    Antonym: plus

Declension[edit]

when masculine:

Indeclinable when neuter.

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • minus in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • minus in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
  • minus in Internetová jazyková příručka

Esperanto[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

minus

  1. minus
    Tri minus du estas unu.Three minus two is one.
    Antonym: plus
    • 1961, Esperantologio, page 156:
      Ni povas principe eliri aŭ de la nominativa formo (finaĵo nul aŭ -s) aŭ de la genitiva formo (minus la finaĵo -os); []
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
    • 2008, Christian Declerck, Spitaj – kiel hidrargo, Antwerp: Flandra Esperanto-Ligo, →ISBN, page 85:
      ‘La universala estas la loka minus la muroj,’ diris Marteno.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)

Adjective[edit]

minus

  1. minus
    • 1913, La Revuo, page 395:
      Ho mia Dio! la muro estas vertikala, eĉ negative kruta. La angulo kun la vertikalo estas minus kvin gradoj, ĉar mi ankoraŭ povas matematike pensi.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
    • 2015, Esteban Sánchez, Gramática Práctica del Esperanto, →ISBN, page 132:
      dek ok minus dudek estas minus du
      eighteen minus twenty is minus two
    • 2019, Sten Johansson, Ne eblas aplaŭdi unumane, New York, N.Y.: Mondial, →ISBN, page 41:
      La taga temperaturo kutime restadis inter minus dek kaj dek kvin gradoj, kion oni ĉi tie konsideris milda.
      The daytime temperature usually stayed between minus ten and fifteen degrees, which was considered mild here.

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

minus

  1. (mathematics) minus, less
    vier minus drei ist eins.4–3=1
    Synonym: weniger
    Antonym: plus

See also[edit]

Interlingua[edit]

Adverb[edit]

minus (not comparable)

  1. less (used to form comparatives)

le minus

  1. the least (used to form superlatives)

Antonyms[edit]

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Italic *minos. Related to minor.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

minus

  1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of minor

Adverb[edit]

minus

  1. comparative degree of paulum
    sīn minus/aliter/secusotherwise, if not

Descendants[edit]

  • Dalmatian: maine, men
  • Italo-Romance:
  • Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Padanian:
  • Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Ibero-Romance:
  • Insular Romance:
    • Sardinian: minus (Nuorese)
  • Borrowings:

References[edit]

  • minus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • sin in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2023) Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
  • minus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • minus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin minus.

Adverb[edit]

minus

  1. minus

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin minus.

Adverb[edit]

minus

  1. minus

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Polish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

minus m inan

  1. minus, minus sign
    Antonym: plus

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • minus in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • minus in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin minus.

Adverb[edit]

minus

  1. minus

Noun[edit]

minus n (plural minusuri)

  1. minus

Declension[edit]

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Noun[edit]

mínus m (Cyrillic spelling ми́нус)

  1. minus sign
  2. minuns, defect, deficiency

Declension[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Noun[edit]

minus n

  1. minus sign, minus

Preposition[edit]

minus

  1. (mathematics) minus
    Tre minus två är ett.
    Three minus two is one.

Derived terms[edit]

Veps[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

minus

  1. inessive of minä