Mince

Mince
Mince Mince (m[i^]ns), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Minced} (m[i^]nst); p. pr. & vb. n. {Minging} (m[i^]n"s[i^]ng).] [AS. minsian to grow less, dwindle, fr. min small; akin to G. minder less, Goth. minniza less, mins less, adv., L. minor, adj. (cf. {Minor}); or more likely fr. F. mincer to mince, prob. from (assumed) LL. minutiare. [root]101. See {Minish}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine; to hash; as, to mince meat. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

2. To suppress or weaken the force of; to extenuate; to palliate; to tell by degrees, instead of directly and frankly; to clip, as words or expressions; to utter half and keep back half of; as, he doesn't mince words. [1913 Webster]

I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say -- ``I love you.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Siren, now mince the sin, And mollify damnation with a phrase. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

If, to mince his meaning, I had either omitted some part of what he said, or taken from the strength of his expression, I certainly had wronged him. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

3. To affect; to make a parade of. [R.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • mince — [ mɛ̃s ] adj. et interj. • fin XIVe; de l a. v. mincier « couper en menus morceaux », var. de menuiser I ♦ Adj. 1 ♦ (Opposé à épais) Qui a peu d épaisseur. ⇒ 2. fin. Couper de la viande en tranches minces. ⇒ émincer. Métal réduit en bandes, en… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mince — MINCE. adj. de tout genre. Tenve, qui n a que fort peu d épaisseur. Estoffe mince. cette doublure est bien mince. cette lame d argent est fort mince. couper des tranches trop minces, &c. mince comme la langue d un chat. On dit figur. qu Une… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Mince — Nom très rare porté dans le Puy de Dôme, où il est déjà attesté au XVIIe siècle. Sens incertain. On pense évidemment à l adjectif mince (= menu), mais son sens actuel n est attesté que depuis le XVIe siècle. En ancien français on donnait le nom… …   Noms de famille

  • Mińce —   Village   Country …   Wikipedia

  • mince ! — ● mince ! interjection (de mince) Familier. Marque un vif étonnement, une vive admiration, le mécontentement : Mince ! je me suis encore coupé …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mince — [v1] chop up chip, crumble, cut, dice, divide, grind, hack, hash, whack; concept 176 mince [v2] pose, put on airs attitudinize, flounce, posture, prance, sashay, strut; concept 59 mince [v3] euphemize, hold back in communication alleviate, de …   New thesaurus

  • mince — ► VERB 1) cut up or shred (meat) into very small pieces. 2) walk in an affected manner with short, quick steps and swinging hips. ► NOUN chiefly Brit. ▪ minced meat. ● mince (one s) words Cf. ↑mince words …   English terms dictionary

  • mince — [mins] vt. minced, mincing [ME mincen < OFr mincier < VL * minutiare < L minutus, small: see MINUTE2] 1. to cut up or chop up (meat, etc.) into very small pieces; hash 2. to subdivide minutely 3. to express or do with affected elegance… …   English World dictionary

  • Mince — Mince, n. A short, precise step; an affected manner. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mince — Mince, v. i. 1. To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner. [1913 Webster] The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, . . . mincing as they go. Is. iii. 16. [1913 Webster] I ll . . .… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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