Minimum (minima) (original) (raw)
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:
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:
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)
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)