Minus means ‘taking away’ or ‘less,’ as in ‘five minus two equals three.’ It is also used to describe temperatures below zero or to mean a disadvantage.
From Latin ‘minus,’ meaning ‘less,’ the comparative form of ‘parvus’ (small). It entered English through mathematical usage.
The same Latin root sits behind ‘minus,’ ‘minor,’ and even ‘diminish’—they all orbit around the idea of ‘less.’ In math, the minus sign is powerful: it doesn’t just shrink numbers, it can flip directions and reverse changes.
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