minus

English Online Dictionary. What means minus‎? What does minus mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English mynus, from Latin minus, neuter form of minor, comparative form of parvus (“small, little”), from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (“few, small”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: mīn-əs, IPA^(key): /ˈmaɪnəs/
• Rhymes: -aɪnəs

Preposition

minus

1. (mathematics) Made less or reduced by (followed by an expression of number or quantity). [from 15th c.]

   Antonym: plus

2. (informal) Without; deprived of. [from 19th c.]

   Synonyms: lacking, without

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

minus (plural minuses or minusses)

1. (mathematics) The minus sign (−). [from 16th c.]
2. (mathematics) A negative quantity. [from 18th c.]
3. A downside or disadvantage. [from 20th c.]

Synonyms

• (defect or deficiency): defect, deficiency, drawback, flaw, shortcoming

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “minus sign”): plus, plus sign
• (antonym(s) of “negative quantity”): positive
• (antonym(s) of “defect or deficiency”): advantage, bonus, boon, gain, plus

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

minus (not comparable)

1. Being a negative quantity; pertaining to a deficit or reduction. [from 18th c.]

   a minus number

2. That is below zero by (a specified amount) on a scale. [from 19th c.]

   minus seven degrees

3. (colloquial, obsolete) Worse off than before; out of pocket. [19th c.]
   • 1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, p. 301:

     The races being finished, we left Epsom for London, Mordaunt's natural vile temper not being at all improved by being three hundred pounds minus by the week's speculation […] .

4. (postpositive) Ranking just below (a designated rating). [from 19th c.]

Synonyms

• (negative): negative
• (on the negative part of a scale): below zero (after the noun)

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

minus (third-person singular simple present minuses or minusses, present participle minusing or minussing, simple past and past participle minused or minussed)

1. (transitive, colloquial) To subtract. [from 20th c.]

See also

• subtract
• subtraction

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “minus”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “minus”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• in sum, munis, simun

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

From Latin minus (“less”).

Noun

minus

1. minus

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Czech

Etymology

Derived from Latin minus, from minor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmiːnus]

Adverb

minus

1. minus

Noun

minus m inan or n

1. minus

   Antonym: plus

Declension

when masculine:

Indeclinable when neuter.

Related terms

Further reading

• “minus”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “minus”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “minus”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈminus]
• Rhymes: -inus
• Hyphenation: mi‧nus

Preposition

minus

1. minus

   Antonym: plus

   Tri minus du estas unu. ― Three minus two is one.

Adjective

minus

1. minus

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmiːnʊs]

Adverb

minus

1. (mathematics) minus, less

   Synonym: weniger

   Antonym: plus

   vier minus drei ist eins. ― 4–3=1

See also

• Minus

Interlingua

Adverb

minus (not comparable)

1. less (used to form comparatives)

le minus

1. the least (used to form superlatives)

Antonyms

• plus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *minos, neuter of *minōs. Related to minor.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.nus/, [ˈmɪnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.nus/, [ˈmiːnus]

Adjective

minus

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of minor

Adverb

minus

1. comparative degree of parum (“very little, too few, not enough”) [2]
2. comparative degree of paulum (“very little”)

   sīn minus/aliter/secus ― otherwise, if not

Descendants

References

• “minus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• sin in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• “minus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• minus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Lithuanian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Preposition

mìnus

1. minus

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin minus.

Adverb

minus

1. minus

Derived terms

• minustegn

References

• “minus” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “minus_1” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin minus.

Adverb

minus

1. minus

Derived terms

• minusteikn

References

• “minus” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmi.nus/
• Rhymes: -inus
• Syllabification: mi‧nus

Noun

minus m inan

1. minus, minus sign

   Antonym: plus

Declension

Further reading

• minus in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• minus in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin minus.

Adverb

minus

1. minus

Noun

minus n (plural minusuri)

1. minus

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

mínus m (Cyrillic spelling ми́нус)

1. minus sign
2. minuns, defect, deficiency

Declension

Swedish

Noun

minus n

1. minus sign, minus

Preposition

minus

1. (mathematics) minus

Derived terms

• minusa

Veps

Pronoun

minus

1. inessive of minä