A minimum is the smallest amount or lowest level that is allowed, needed, or possible. People often talk about minimum wage, minimum speed, or minimum requirements.
From Latin ‘minimum,’ the neuter form of ‘minimus,’ meaning ‘smallest’ or ‘least.’ It entered English in the 17th century as a mathematical and scientific term.
A minimum is more than just ‘small’—it’s the bottom boundary you’re not supposed to cross. In math, finding a minimum often means discovering the most efficient or stable point in a whole landscape of possibilities.
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