minutes
minutes — 名詞
1. the units of time you count up to sixty to make one hour; each one lasts sixty s
分鐘
六十秒組成的時間單位
the units of time you count up to sixty to make one hour; each one lasts sixty seconds
The pizza was ready ten minutes after Sayaka put it in the oven.
Sayaka 把披薩放進烤箱十分鐘後，披薩就烤好了。
[number] + minutes after [event]
Wren only had fifteen minutes to catch the next bus to school.
Wren 只剩十五分鐘可以趕上下一班到學校的公車。
[number] + minutes to [verb]
The phone call from Padma's mother lasted almost forty minutes last night.
昨晚 Padma 媽媽打來的那通電話講了將近四十分鐘。
Boil the eggs for exactly seven minutes if you want the centre soft.
如果你想要蛋黃軟一點，雞蛋就剛好水煮七分鐘。
Ignacio reached the station with only two minutes to spare before the train left.
Ignacio 抵達車站時，距離火車開走只剩兩分鐘可以喘息。
文法句型
[number] + minute(s)
in [number] minutes
for [number] minutes
用法筆記
Almost always quantified by a number; the bare singular 'a minute' meaning 60 seconds is uncommon outside this slot.
常見錯誤
2. a very short stretch of time, used loosely when you do not mean an exact number
一下子；片刻
口語中泛指很短的一段時間
a very short stretch of time, used loosely when you do not mean an exact number of seconds
Hold on a minute — Tamás left his wallet on the kitchen table.
等一下，Tamás 把錢包忘在廚房桌子上了。
hold on a minute (informal stalling)
Layla will be down in a minute; she is still drying her hair.
Layla 馬上就下來，她還在吹頭髮。
be + down in a minute (very soon)
For a minute Soraya thought she had lost the house keys at the market.
Soraya 有那麼一下子以為自己把家裡鑰匙掉在市場了。
Wait a minute, that is not the answer Christopher gave yesterday.
等一下，這跟 Christopher 昨天給的答案不一樣。
- ages
informal opposite — a long time
文法句型
in a minute
wait a minute
for a minute
用法筆記
Distinct from sense 1 because no real measurement is implied; 'a minute' here can stretch to many seconds or several minutes in practice.
常見錯誤
3. a small division of an angle, equal to one-sixtieth of a degree, used in navigat
分；角分
一度的六十分之一，角度單位
a small division of an angle, equal to one-sixtieth of a degree, used in navigation and astronomy
The ship's bearing was forty-two degrees and twelve minutes north of east.
那艘船的方位是東偏北四十二度十二分。
[degrees] and [minutes] (navigation)
Astronomers measured the star's shift as only three minutes of arc per year.
天文學家測得那顆星的偏移每年只有三角分。
[number] minutes of arc (astronomy)
On the old map, Zayd marked the village at seventeen degrees and forty minutes east.
在那張舊地圖上，Zayd 把村莊標在東經十七度四十分。
Each degree on the compass dial is broken down into sixty minutes for fine readings.
羅盤盤面上每一度都再分成六十分，方便精細讀數。
- arcminute
single-word technical term used by astronomers
文法句型
[number] minutes (of arc)
[degrees]° [minutes]′
用法筆記
Subject is usually an angle, bearing, or coordinate. Often written with the prime symbol (′) in technical text rather than the full word.
4. a short written message that one office worker sends to another to summarise a p
短箋；簡函
公務上一份簡短的書面建議或摘要
a short written message that one office worker sends to another to summarise a point or make a recommendation
Minh sent a minute to the director outlining three concerns about the new policy.
Minh 寫了一封短箋給主任，列出對新政策的三點疑慮。
send a minute to [person]
The chief of staff drafted a minute about the budget shortfall for next week's review.
幕僚長為下週的檢討會議草擬了一份關於預算缺口的短箋。
draft a minute about [topic]
Nia attached the supplier's quotation to her minute on the procurement options.
Nia 把供應商的報價附在她那份關於採購方案的短箋裡。
Each department head must submit a short minute summarising progress every Friday afternoon.
每位部門主管每週五下午都必須繳交一份簡短的進度短箋。
- memo
more common in American business English
- memorandum
fuller, more formal version of the same idea
- note
broader; not always for an official audience
文法句型
a minute on/about [topic]
send a minute to [person]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 5 (the meeting record). This sense is a single brief memo from one official to another; sense 5 is the running record of what a whole meeting said.
常見錯誤
5. the written list of what each person said and what the group decided during a fo
會議紀錄
正式會議上發言與決議的書面紀錄
the written list of what each person said and what the group decided during a formal meeting, kept so members can check it later
Élise volunteered to take the minutes during the parent council meeting last Thursday.
Élise 自願在上週四的家長會議上負責做會議紀錄。
take the minutes (action of recording)
The chair asked everyone to approve the minutes of the previous board meeting first.
主席請大家先通過上一次董事會的會議紀錄。
approve the minutes of [meeting]
Kevin circulated the draft minutes to all committee members by email on Friday morning.
Kevin 在週五早上把會議紀錄草稿用電子郵件發給所有委員。
According to the minutes, the union voted unanimously to reject the new contract terms.
根據會議紀錄，工會一致決議拒絕新合約的條件。
Sivan keeps the minutes neatly filed by date in a green folder beside her desk.
Sivan 把會議紀錄整齊地依日期收在桌邊的綠色資料夾裡。
- proceedings
more formal; often used for courts and academic conferences
- record
more general; minutes are one kind of record
文法句型
the minutes of [meeting]
take/keep the minutes
minutes of the previous meeting
用法筆記
Almost always plural with 'the'. The person creating them 'takes' or 'keeps' the minutes; members 'approve' or 'circulate' them.
常見錯誤
minutes — 形容詞
1. so small in size that you can barely see it without help, for example, dust on a
微小的
小到幾乎看不見的程度
so small in size that you can barely see it without help, for example, dust on a lens or grains in a powder
Sayaka spotted a minute crack along the rim of her grandmother's porcelain teacup.
Sayaka 發現外婆瓷茶杯的杯緣上有一條極細的裂痕。
a minute crack/flaw (visual defect)
Even a minute amount of the chemical can change the colour of the water completely.
即使是極少量的這種化學物質，也能讓水的顏色完全改變。
a minute amount of [substance]
The microscope showed minute bubbles trapped inside the layer of frozen ice cream.
顯微鏡下可以看到冷凍冰淇淋裡夾著許多極小的氣泡。
There were minute traces of pollen on the surface of every leaf Layla collected.
Layla 撿回來的每一片葉子表面都有微量的花粉。
- tiny
everyday word; less formal
- microscopic
stronger; literally needing a microscope
- infinitesimal
very formal; emphasises smallness near zero
文法句型
a minute [noun]
minute amount/quantity of [noun]
用法筆記
Pronounced /maɪˈnjuːt/, unlike the time noun /ˈmɪnɪt/. Strongest with concrete physical objects or measurable quantities.
常見錯誤
2. so small or insignificant in size or effect that it is not worth giving much att
微不足道的
影響或重要性極小，不值得在意
so small or insignificant in size or effect that it is not worth giving much attention to
Christopher dismissed Wren's complaint as a minute matter that would resolve itself overnight.
Christopher 把 Wren 的抱怨當成微不足道的小事，認為過一晚就會自然解決。
dismiss as a minute matter
The committee spent two hours debating a minute change to the wording of paragraph six.
委員會花了兩個小時討論第六段裡一個微不足道的字句修改。
a minute change to [text]
Nia's role in the project was minute compared with what Tamás contributed every day.
和 Tamás 每天的付出相比，Nia 在這個案子裡扮演的角色微不足道。
Only a minute fraction of the audience noticed that the second violinist had missed her cue.
只有極小一部分的觀眾注意到第二小提琴手錯過了她的進入點。
- trivial
more common; implies not worth bothering with
- trifling
literary; same as trivial but rarer
- negligible
stresses an amount too small to count
- significant
common opposite for importance
- major
stronger opposite
文法句型
a minute [difference/point/detail]
of minute importance
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is physical smallness; this sense rates importance, effect, or proportion as negligible. Often paired with 'compared with' or 'fraction of'.
3. involving very close attention to every small part, so that nothing is missed
鉅細靡遺的
對每個細節都仔細留意
involving very close attention to every small part, so that nothing is missed
Padma described the wedding dress in minute detail over coffee with her cousin.
Padma 邊喝咖啡邊向表妹鉅細靡遺地描述那件結婚禮服。
in minute detail (descriptive)
The accountant gave minute attention to every line of the family business accounts.
那位會計師對家族企業帳目的每一筆都鉅細靡遺地檢查。
minute attention to [task]
Élise's diary recorded her travels in Vietnam with minute care for dates and prices.
Élise 的日記鉅細靡遺地記下了她在越南旅行的日期和花費。
The detective examined the broken window in minute detail before calling the photographer.
那位偵探在叫攝影師來之前，鉅細靡遺地檢查了破掉的窗戶。
- meticulous
describes the person or method, not just the result
- painstaking
stresses the effort involved
- thorough
more general; less about smallness of details
文法句型
minute detail
in minute detail
minute attention to [noun]
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'detail', 'attention', 'care', or 'examination'. Distinct from sense 2 (which downplays importance); this sense praises thoroughness.
常見錯誤
minutes — 動詞
1. to write down a short summary of what was said or agreed, especially during a me
做紀錄
正式記下會議或談話的摘要
to write down a short summary of what was said or agreed, especially during a meeting or interview
Soraya was asked to minute the discussion between the headteacher and the school inspector.
Soraya 被指派負責記錄校長與督學之間的談話。
minute + [event] (formal recording)
Please minute that the board agreed to postpone the building work until April.
請正式記下：董事會同意把工程延到四月。
minute that + clause (formal record)
Kevin minuted every objection raised during the long afternoon planning meeting.
Kevin 把那場漫長的下午規劃會議上提出的每一項反對意見都記了下來。
The secretary minuted the conversation while the two ministers discussed the trade deal.
兩位部長討論貿易協定時，那位秘書全程做了紀錄。
文法句型
minute [a meeting/discussion]
minute that [clause]
用法筆記
Rare outside British formal or administrative writing. Subject is usually a secretary, clerk, or official with the task of producing the record.