Italian Word of the Day: Minuto (minute)

Each hour (ora) of the day consists of sixty minutes, which in Italian are known as minuti (singular: minuto). It comes from the late Latin minutum, which means particle, and is the neuter noun form of the adjective minutus.

Because minuto is a masculine noun, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles:

• il minuto = the minute
• i minuti = the minutes
• un minuto = a minute
• dei minuti = (some) minutes

Minuto also has the figurative meaning of “a very short period of time”. Used in this sense, the correct English translation could be any of the following: minute, moment, second or instant. This meaning is exemplified in set expressions such as:

• Non c’è un minuto da perdere. = There isn’t a minute to lose.
• Aspetta un minuto! = Wait a minute!
• Arrivare all’ultimo minuto = To arrive at the last minute
• Arrivare a minuti = To arrive at any minute

When newscasters deliver a detailed running commentary on a sporting event, you will often hear the term minuto per minuto, which is the Italian for play-by-play.

Minuto has another meaning in Italian, which is tiny or minuscule, just like the English minute. You can use it for things or people (caretteri minuti = tiny characters; una ragazza minuta = a tiny girl).

Idiomatic Expressions Featuring “Minuto”

Heather Broster

Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.