喜樂美語

You can picture minimum as the floor of a range — the lowest point you can go down to and no further. Imagine a line with marks on it: minimum is the very bottom mark, the smallest amount that is still possible, allowed, or enough. Whether the word names that floor as a thing ('the minimum is twenty') or describes something as sitting on it ('the minimum age'), it's the same bottom line.

可以把 minimum 想成一個範圍的「地板」——能往下到的最低點，再低就不行了。想像一條畫了刻度的線：minimum 就是最底下那一格，是還算可以、還被允許、或還算夠用的最小量。不管這個字是把那塊地板當成一個東西來講（「最低限度是二十」），還是拿它來形容某樣東西就停在那條底線上（「最低年齡」），指的都是同一條最底下的線。

From the word’s history

From Latin 'minimum', the neuter of 'minimus' (smallest, least), the superlative of 'parvus' (small). So at root it simply names 'the least thing' — the smallest amount there is.

源自拉丁文 minimum，是 minimus（最小的、最少的）的中性形，而 minimus 又是 parvus（小）的最高級。所以它的根本意思就是「最少的那個」——存在的最小量。

etymonline.com/word/minimum

同家族的字

複數 minimums / minima

意思相近

leastlowest amountlowestsmallestat leastat the very least

意思相反

maximumhighestmostat mostat maximum

原始詞典資料6 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

minimumnoun/ˈmɪnɪməm/

  • 1

    The lowest limit.

    • We prefer candidates with a minimum of 4 years experience in the field.
    • We need a minimum of three staff members on duty at all times.
  • 2

    The smallest amount.

    • He always tries to get away with doing the minimum.
    • Please keep noise to a minimum after 11 o'clock
  • 3

    astronomynatural-sciencesA period of minimum brightness or energy intensity (of a star).

    • The Maunder minimum of the Sun reportedly corresponded to a period of great cold on Earth.
  • 4

    mathematical-analysismathematicssciencesA lower bound of a set which is also an element of that set.

  • 5

    mathematicssciencesstatisticsThe smallest member of a batch or sample or the lower bound of a probability distribution.

minimumadj/ˈmɪnɪməm/

  • 1

    To the lowest degree.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。