Minimally

How to spell minimally

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce minimally

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does minimally mean?

1. adverbTo the smallest possible degree; only slightly or barely.

Minimally in a sentence

• The new policy minimally affected our monthly budget.

• The surgery was minimally invasive, so recovery was quick.

Where does minimally come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin minimus, meaning 'smallest' or 'least', which is the superlative form of an old root tied to small size and scarcity. Latin minimus gave rise to the adjective 'minimal', meaning 'the least possible', which English adopted in the eighteenth century, and the adverb 'minimally' was formed later by simply adding the standard English ending -ly. The same minim- root underlies several familiar words, including 'minimum', 'minimise', and even 'minim', the smallest unit in older systems of measurement and a note value in music. Because the base adjective 'minimal' already ends in -al, attaching -ly produces the double letter sequence -ally, and that doubled 'l' is exactly the spot where careful writers slip. Keeping the full adjective 'minimal' in mind before adding -ly is the surest way to remember both letters.

How the word is built

• minim- (from Latin minimus: smallest)
• -al (adjective suffix)
• -ly (adverb suffix)