minion
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minion
- /ˈmɪnjən/
Sounds like minyan · Rhymes with -ɪnjən
Where it comes from
First use appears c. 1490, from Middle French mignon (“lover, royal favourite, darling”), from Old French mignon (“dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind”), from Frankish *minnju (“love, friendship, affection, memory”), from Proto-Germanic *minjō (“affectionate thought, care”), from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”). Doublet of mignon.
noun minions
-
A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
The archvillain deployed his minions to simultaneously rob every bank in the city.
Similar: disciple, follower, acolyte, adjutant, aide, bootlicker, flunkey, footman, satrap, henchman, hireling, inferior
- A sycophantic follower.
- The size of type between nonpareil and brevier, standardized as 7-point.
- A loved one; one highly esteemed and favoured. God's disciple and his dearest minion
- An ancient form of ordnance with a calibre of about three inches. Gun. My Cannons rung like Bells. Here's to my Mistress, The dainty sweet brass Minion: split their Fore-mast, She never fail'd.
- Obsolete form of minium Of philosophers and scholars priscae sapientiae dictatores, I have already spoken in general terms, those superintendents of wit and learning, men above men, those refined men, minions of the muses.
adjective more minion · most minion
- Favoured, beloved; "pet". These favours, with the commodities that follow minion Courtiers, corrupt[…]his libertie, and dazle his judgement.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: parasite, leech, sponge, servant, handyman, vassal, emissary, client, envoy, pretty, cutie, cute, scapegoat, outfall, outlet, loyal follower
Translations
Every language
noun loyal servant of another more powerful being
| Español | secuaz, miñón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 앞잡이 apjabi |
| 日本語 | 子分 kobun |
| 中文 | 奴才 núcái, 奴仆 núpú |
| Português | favorito, lacaio |
| Français | subalterne, sous-fifre, séide, larbin |
| Deutsch | Ergebener, Untergebener, Lakai |
| Italiano | lacché |
| Ελληνικά | ακόλουθος akólouthos, ευνοούμενος evnooúmenos |
| Română | răsfățat |
| Русский | ве́рный слуга́ vérnyj slugá, шестёрка šestjórka, приспе́шник prispéšnik |
| Tiếng Việt | kẻ nô lệ |
| العربية | تَابِع tābiʕ |
| עברית | מְשָׁרֵת |
Talk about this word "minion." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/minion. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. minion. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/minion "minion." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/minion.Cite this
@misc{minion_2026,
title = {minion},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/minion},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
