5 PHRASE If you say that someone keeps something to a minimum , or to the minimum , you mean that they keep the amount of it as small as possible. □ Office machinery is kept to a minimum.
mi ni|mum se|cu |rity pri s|on (minimum security prisons ) N‑COUNT A minimum security prison is a prison where there are fewer restrictions on prisoners than in a normal prison. [mainly AM ] in BRIT, use open prison
mi ni|mum wa ge N‑SING The minimum wage is the lowest wage that an employer is allowed to pay an employee, according to a law or agreement.
min|ing /ma I n I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Mining is the industry and activities connected with getting valuable or useful minerals from the ground, for example coal, diamonds, or gold. □ …traditional industries such as coal mining and steel making.
min|ion /m I njən/ (minions ) N‑COUNT [usu pl, usu poss N ] If you refer to someone's minions , you are referring to people who have to do what that person tells them to do, especially unimportant or boring tasks. [LITERARY , DISAPPROVAL ] □ She delegated the job to one of her minions.
mi ni-series (mini-series ) N‑COUNT A mini-series is a drama shown on television in two or three parts, usually in one week.
mi ni-skirt (mini-skirts ) also miniskirt N‑COUNT A mini-skirt is a very short skirt.
min|is|ter ◆◆◆ /m I n I stə r / (ministers , ministering , ministered )
1 N‑COUNT [n N ] In Britain and some other countries, a minister is a person who is in charge of a particular government department. □ [+ of ] When the government had come to power, he had been named Minister of Culture. □ … he newly appointed defence minister.
2 N‑COUNT A minister is a person who officially represents their government in a foreign country and has a lower rank than an ambassador. □ He concluded a deal with the Danish minister in Washington.
3 N‑COUNT A minister is a member of the clergy, especially in Protestant churches. □ His father was a Baptist minister.
4 VERB If you minister to people or to their needs, you serve them or help them, for example by making sure that they have everything they need or want. [FORMAL ] □ [V + to ] For 44 years he had ministered to the poor, the sick, the neglected and the deprived.
min|is|terial /m I n I st I ə riəl/ ADJ [ADJ n] You use ministerial to refer to people, events, or jobs that are connected with government ministers. □ The prime minister's initial ministerial appointments haven't pleased all his supporters.
mini|stra|tions /m I n I stre I ʃ ə nz/ N‑PLURAL [usu with poss] A person's ministrations are the things they do to help or care for someone in a particular situation, especially someone who is weak or ill. [HUMOROUS or LITERARY ] □ …the tender ministrations of the buxom woman who cut his hair.
min|is|try ◆◆◇ /m I n I stri/ (ministries )
1 N‑COUNT [n N ] In Britain and some other countries, a ministry is a government department which deals with a particular thing or area of activity, for example trade, defence, or transport. □ [+ of ] …the Ministry of Justice. □ …a spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing, usu with poss] The ministry of a religious person is the work that they do that is based on or inspired by their religious beliefs. □ His ministry is among the poor.
mink /m I ŋk/ (minks or mink )
1 N‑COUNT A mink is a small animal with highly valued fur. □ …a proposal for a ban on the hunting of foxes, mink and hares. ● N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Mink is the fur of a mink. □ …a mink coat.
2 N‑COUNT A mink is a coat or other garment made from the fur of a mink. □ Some people like to dress up in minks and diamonds.
min|now /m I noʊ/ (minnows ) N‑COUNT A minnow is a very small fish that lives in lakes and rivers.
mi|nor ◆◇◇ /ma I nə r / (minors , minoring , minored )
1 ADJ You use minor when you want to describe something that is less important, serious, or significant than other things in a group or situation. □ She is known in Italy for a number of minor roles in films. □ Western officials say the problem is minor, and should be quickly overcome.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A minor illness or operation is not likely to be dangerous to someone's life or health. □ Sarah had been plagued continually by a series of minor illnesses. □ His mother had to go to the hospital for minor surgery.
3 ADJ [n ADJ , ADJ n] In European music, a minor scale is one in which the third note is three semitones higher than the first. □ …the unfinished sonata movement in F minor.
4 N‑COUNT A minor is a person who is still legally a child. In Britain and most states in the United States, people are minors until they reach the age of eighteen. □ The approach has virtually ended cigarette sales to minors.
5 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] At a university or college in the United States, a student's minor is a subject that they are studying in addition to their main subject, or major.
6 N‑COUNT [n N ] At a university or college in the United States, if a student is, for example, a geology minor , they are studying geology as well as their main subject.
7 VERB If a student at a university or college in the United States minors in a particular subject, they study it in addition to their main subject. □ [V + in ] I'm minoring in computer science. SYNONYMS minor ADJ 1
unimportant: It was an unimportant job, and paid very little.