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Added 9 October 2026

mince

/mɪns/ noun

In Latin: minūtal Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mince at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Finely chopped meat; minced meat.
Mince tastes really good fried in a pan with some chopped onion and tomato.
Finely chopped mixed fruit used in Christmas pies; mincemeat.
During Christmas time my dad loves to eat mince pies.
An affected (often dainty or short and precise) gait.

verb

To make less; to make small.
To lessen; to diminish; to diminish in speaking; to speak of lightly or slightingly; to minimise.
To effect mincingly.

Origin

From Middle English mincen, minsen; partly from Old English minsian, ġeminsian (“to make less, make smaller, diminish”), from Proto-West Germanic *minnisōn, from Proto-Germanic *minnisōną (“to make less”); partly from Old French mincer, mincier (“to cut into small pieces”), from mince (“slender, slight, puny”), from Frankish *minsto, *minnisto, superlative of *min, *minn (“small, less”), from Proto-Germanic *minniz (“less”); both from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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