Library / 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:

lower limit; minimum

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:

Adjectives

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)

Credits

 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)