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View synonyms for minutiae

minutiae

[ mi-noo-shee-ee, mi-noo-shuh, -shee-uh, -nyoo- ]

plural noun

, singular mi·nu·ti·a [mi-, noo, -sh, uh, -shee-, uh, -, nyoo, -].
  1. precise details; small or trifling matters:

    the minutiae of his craft.



minutiae

/ mɪˈnjuːʃɪˌiː /

plural noun

  1. small, precise, or trifling details
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Usage Note

Minutia, the singular form meaning “a precise detail; a small or trifling matter” is much less common than the plural. However, this singular form is often used in place of the plural form minutiae , with the same plural meaning and plural verb: She has a great facility for remembering minutia that are relevant to the conversation. And the plural form minutiae is sometimes used as a collective noun with a singular verb: The minutiae of daily life is the stuff that anchors us and gives us a sense of purpose. Both of these usages have been criticized in style guides.
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Other Words From

  • mi·nu·ti·al adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of minutiae1

First recorded in 1745–55; from Latin, plural of minūtia “smallness, fineness,” equivalent to minūt(us) “small, tiny” + -ia; minute 2, -ia
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Word History and Origins

Origin of minutiae1

C18: pl of Late Latin minūtia smallness, from Latin minūtus minute ²
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Example Sentences

This inveterate list maker also loved minutiae; in his copious account books, he kept track of every cent he ever spent.

Trekkies are defensive about the minutiae of their sacred source material, sometimes to the point of pretension.

The two companies have been competing over minutiae for a long time.

By and large, they tend to be carefully choreographed retellings of political minutiae that serve to justify decisions.

This I can assert as a fact, that those distinctions are perceived by the angels in heaven as to their minutiae.

I am very close and careful you see, in all minutiae; always was,—pave 'em with rubbish and stones, 6d.

There is no need to go through the minutiae of the struggle.

This Sunday morning she was very busy with domestic minutiae.

She seemed to understand his trials by instinct, and even the minutiae of his work made themselves curiously clear to her.

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