English word minus comes from Proto-Indo-European *mī-, Latin mina, Proto-Indo-European *pau-, and later Latin parvus (Ignorable, unimportant. Small, little, cheap.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *mī- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| mina | Latin (lat) | (figuratively) threats, menaces. Projecting points, pinnacles, battlements, parapets. |
| *pau- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| parvus | Latin (lat) | Ignorable, unimportant. Small, little, cheap. |
| minari | Latin (lat) | |
| parum | Latin (lat) | Very little, insufficient. |
| minus | English (eng) | (mathematics) Negative.. (postpositive) Ranking just below a designated rating.. On the negative part of a scale. (informal) Without.. (mathematics) less; reduced by. (mathematics) A minus sign (−).. (mathematics) A negative quantity.. A downside or disadvantage. |