moins
French
Etymology
From Middle French moins, from Old French meins, from Latin minus.
Pronunciation
Adverb
moins
- less, fewer
- Faites moins de bruit. ― Make less noise.
- J’ai dû attendre moins de dix minutes. ― I had to wait less than ten minutes.
- De moins en moins de personnes peuvent se permettre de passer des vacances à l’étranger.
- Fewer and fewer people can afford to spend holidays abroad.
- (with numbers) minus; negative
- moins cinq ― minus five
- (preceded by a definite article) the least
- C’est lui qui gagne le moins (d’argent) dans sa famille. ― He earns the least money in his family.
- C’était la chose la moins surprenante. ― It was the least surprising thing.
Antonyms
Derived terms
- à moins de
- à moins que
- à tout le moins
- au moins
- de moins en moins
- du moins
- pas le moins du monde
- pour le moins
- tout au moins
Related terms
Noun
moins m (plural moins)
- the minus sign
Preposition
moins
- minus
- Cinq moins deux font trois
- Five minus two makes three.
Antonyms
Further reading
- “moins”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Categories:
- French terms inherited from Middle French
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French terms inherited from Old French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms inherited from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
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- Rhymes:French/wɛ̃
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