Minimize

How to spell minimize

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce minimize

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does minimize mean?

1. verbTo reduce something to the smallest possible amount, size, or degree.

Minimize in a sentence

• The manager wanted to minimize the risk of further delays.

• Good insulation can minimize heating costs over the winter.

Where does minimize come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This verb is built on the Latin minimus, meaning 'smallest' or 'least', which is the superlative of parvus 'small'. The same root sits behind a whole family of English words, including 'minimum', 'minimal', and even 'minim', the smallest of musical notes. English began forming 'minimize' in the early 1800s by attaching the productive ending -ize, which comes ultimately from the Greek verb-forming suffix -izein and means roughly 'to make' or 'to render'. So the literal logic of the word is 'to make least', and it spread quickly into the language of business, risk, and computing. The -ize spelling preserves that Greek-derived ending and is the standard form in American and Canadian usage; British writers more often write 'minimise', though the -ize form is also accepted in Oxford spelling.

How the word is built

• minim- (from Latin minimus: smallest, least)
• -ize (verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make')

British and American spelling

Minimize is the American spelling. British English spells it minimise.