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minuscule

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minuscule

  • /ˈmɪnɪˌskjuːl/ UK
  • /ˈmɪnəˌskjuːl/ UK
  • /ˈmɪnjəˌskjuːl/ UK, uncommon
  • /ˈmɪnjʊˌskjuːl/ UK
  • /ˈmɪnəˌskjul/ US
  • /mɪˈnʌsˌkjul/ US

Where it comes from

From French minuscule, from Latin minuscula, feminine of minusculus (“rather less, rather small”), from minus (“less, smaller”) + -culus (diminutive suffix).

noun minuscules · miniscule

  1. countable A lowercase letter.
  2. uncountable Either of the two medieval handwriting styles minuscule cursive and Caroline minuscule. By the eighth century, Irish scribes had refined everyday cursive writing in minuscule to allow its use for the production of quality vellum books.
  3. countable A letter in these styles.

adjective more minuscule · most minuscule · miniscule

  1. Written in minuscules, lowercase.

    Similar: lower-case, small

  2. Written in minuscule handwriting style.
  3. Very small; tiny. a minuscule dot

    Similar: minuscular, microscopic, minute, tiny

Opposite: majuscule, uppercase

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: miniscule, little, small, lowercase, minuscular, diminutive, tiny, teeny, itty-bitty, minimum, minimal, slim, lower-case, paltry, trivial, minor

adjective

Opposite: majuscule, uppercase

Translations

Every language

noun lower-case letter

Españolminúscula, letra de caja baja
한국어소문자 somunja
日本語小文字 komoji
中文小寫字母 /小写字母 ziǎoxiězìmǔ
हिन्दीछोटा अक्षर choṭā akṣar
Portuguêsminúscula
Françaisminuscule
DeutschKleinbuchstabe, Gemeinbuchstabe, Gemeiner (der Gemeine), Minuskel
Italianominuscolo
Ελληνικάμικρό γράμμα mikró grámma, πεζό γράμμα pezó grámma
Românăminusculă, literă mică
Русскийстрочна́я бу́ква stročnája búkva, ма́ленькая бу́ква málenʹkaja búkva
Tiếng Việtchữ nhỏ, chữ thường
العربيةحَرْف صَغِير ḥarf ṣaḡīr

noun medieval handwriting style

DeutschMinuskel
Русскиймину́скул minúskul

noun letter in this style

Русскиймину́скул minúskul

adj written in minuscules

Españolminúscula
Portuguêsminúsculo
Françaisminuscule
DeutschKlein-

adj very small, tiny

Españolminúsculo
日本語矮小 waishou
Portuguêsminúsculo
Françaisminuscule
Deutschklitzeklein, winzig
Italianominuscolo

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Cite this
MLA

"minuscule." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/minuscule. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

minuscule. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/minuscule

Chicago

"minuscule." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/minuscule.

BibTeX
@misc{minuscule_2026,
  title = {minuscule},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/minuscule},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}