\Min"ute\ (?; 277), n. [LL. minuta a small portion, small
coin, fr. L. minutus small: cf. F. minute. See 4th {Minute}.]
1. The sixtieth part of an hour; sixty seconds. (Abbrev. m.;
   as, 4 h. 30 m.)
         Four minutes, that is to say, minutes of an hour.
                                               --Chaucer.
2. The sixtieth part of a degree; sixty seconds (Marked thus
   ('); as, 10[deg] 20').
3. A nautical or a geographic mile.
4. A coin; a half farthing. [Obs.] --Wyclif (Mark xii. 42)
5. A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a
   jot; a tittle. [Obs.]
         Minutes and circumstances of his passion. --Jer.
                                               Taylor.
6. A point of time; a moment.
         I go this minute to attend the king.  --Dryden.
7. The memorandum; a record; a note to preserve the memory of
   anything; as, to take minutes of a contract; to take
   minutes of a conversation or debate.
8. (Arch.) A fixed part of a module. See {Module}.
Note: Different writers take as the minute one twelfth, one
      eighteenth, one thirtieth, or one sixtieth part of the
      module.

\Min"ute\, a.
Of or pertaining to a minute or minutes; occurring at or
marking successive minutes.
{Minute bell}, a bell tolled at intervals of a minute, as to
   give notice of a death or a funeral.
{Minute book}, a book in which written minutes are entered.
{Minute glass}, a glass measuring a minute or minutes by the
   running of sand.
{Minute gun}, a discharge of a cannon repeated every minute
   as a sign of distress or mourning.
{Minute hand}, the long hand of a watch or clock, which makes
   the circuit of the dial in an hour, and marks the minutes.

\Min"ute\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Minuted}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Minuting}.]
To set down a short sketch or note of; to jot down; to make a
minute or a brief summary of.
      The Empress of Russia, with her own hand, minuted an
      edict for universal tolerance.           --Bancroft.

\Mi*nute"\, a. [L. minutus, p. p. of minuere to lessen.
See {Minish}, {Minor}, and cf. {Menu}, {Minuet}.]
1. Very small; little; tiny; fine; slight; slender;
   inconsiderable. ``Minute drops.'' --Milton.
2. Attentive to small things; paying attention to details;
   critical; particular; precise; as, a minute observer;
   minute observation.
Syn: Little; diminutive; fine; critical; exact;
     circumstantial; particular; detailed.
Usage: {Minute}, {Circumstantial}, {Particular}. A
       circumstantial account embraces all the leading
       events; a particular account includes each event and
       movement, though of but little importance; a minute
       account goes further still, and omits nothing as to
       person, time, place, adjuncts, etc.