| / English Dictionary |
MINIMUM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: minima
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The point on a curve where the tangent changes from negative on the left to positive on the right
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("minimum" is a kind of...):
limit (as far as something can go)
Antonym:
maximum (the point on a curve where the tangent changes from positive on the left to negative on the right)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The smallest possible quantity
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("minimum" is a kind of...):
extremum; peak (the most extreme possible amount or value)
small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "minimum"):
skeleton (something reduced to its minimal form)
Antonym:
maximum (the largest possible quantity)
Derivation:
minimise (make small or insignificant)
minimise (represent as less significant or important)
minimize (make small or insignificant)
minimize (represent as less significant or important)
minimize (cause to seem less serious; play down)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The least possible
Example:
a minimal charge for the service
Synonyms:
minimal; minimum
Classified under:
Similar:
borderline; marginal (of questionable or minimal quality)
negligible (so small as to be meaningless; insignificant)
nominal; token; tokenish (insignificantly small; a matter of form only ('tokenish' is informal))
stripped; stripped-down (having only essential or minimal features)
Antonym:
maximum (the greatest or most complete or best possible)
Context examples:
Colony forming unit (CFU) is the minimum number of separable cells, which is able to produce a visible colony of progeny.
(Colony Forming Unit, NCI Thesaurus)
The minimum concentration between dose time and dose time plus Tau (at Tmin).
(Cmin, NCI Thesaurus)
A minimum level or position or degree; less than normal in degree, intensity or amount.
(Low, NCI Thesaurus)
For this method a minimum of 4 electrodes are needed that represent the right arm, left arm, left leg and back.
(Lead Placement Frank, NCI Thesaurus)
At a minimum, the natural compound could reduce the amount of synthetic chemicals sprayed onto food crops.
(Transferring Sorghum’s Weed-Killing Power to Rice, U.S. Department of Agriculture)
During the 11-year solar cycle, the Sun reaches both a maximum and a minimum level of activity.
(NASA Voyager 2 Could Be Nearing Interstellar Space, NASA)
The minimum elevation of the ST segment, obtained from a set of measurements of the elevation of the ST segment.
(Minimum ST Segment Elevation, NCI Thesaurus)
For 1,284 of the candidates, the probability of being a planet is greater than 99 percent - the minimum required to earn the status of "planet."
(Kepler Mission Announces Largest Collection of Planets Ever Discovered, NASA)
The minimum duration (time) between successive peaks of R waves in a particular set of RR intervals.
(Minimum RR Duration, NCI Thesaurus)
In quantity, the formula prescribed twelve hundred words minimum dose, fifteen hundred words maximum dose.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
