minuscule Definition

minuscule
adj

1. Extremely small.

Thesaurus: little, diminutive, tiny, infinitesimal, microscopic, minute, Lilliputian; Antonym: gigantic, huge.
2. Said of letters or script: lower-case, not upper-case or capital.

noun

1. printing.
A lower-case letter.
2. A variety of small, cursive script originated by monks in the 7c. Compare majuscule.

Derivative: minuscular
adj

Etymology: 18c in sense 2: from Latin littera minuscula small letter.

Info:

○ Minuscule is originally a technical word that has developed a more general meaning. The grammar has also changed, because the word was originally a noun and is now familiar as an adjective, meaning 'very small'. This makes it awkward in use:

○ For this reason, and because the word is not often marked by a distinct pronunciation, it is sometimes written as miniscule, under the influence of the productive prefix mini-:

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○ However, this spelling is not yet widely accepted.