minute
minute — 名詞
1. One of the 60 equal units that an hour breaks into; each unit lasts 60 seconds.
分鐘
六十分之一小時的時間單位
One of the 60 equal units that an hour breaks into; each unit lasts 60 seconds.
The bus arrived ten minutes late, so Quinn missed the start of the film.
公車晚到了十分鐘，所以 Quinn 錯過了電影的開頭。
number + minutes for duration
Linh set the kitchen timer for three minutes before taking out the cake.
Linh 把廚房計時器設定為三分鐘，然後把蛋糕拿出來。
Each class lasts about fifty minutes, with a quick break in the middle.
每堂課大約五十分鐘，中間有短暫休息。
It is twenty minutes past seven by the clock on the wall.
牆上的時鐘顯示現在是七點二十分。
Rania waited for nearly forty minutes before the doctor called her name.
Rania 等了將近四十分鐘，醫生才叫到她的名字。
文法句型
number + minute(s)
minute(s) + past/to + hour
用法筆記
Frequently preceded by a number (two minutes, ten minutes). When telling time, American English prefers 'minutes after' where British English uses 'minutes past', though both are understood.
常見錯誤
2. A very short period of time that feels less than a full sixty seconds, often use
片刻；一會兒
很短的一段時間
A very short period of time that feels less than a full sixty seconds, often used in everyday conversation.
"Can you wait a minute?" Gabriela asked while putting on her coat.
Gabriela 一邊穿上外套一邊問：「你可以等一下嗎？」
wait a minute for a short delay
The rain stopped for a minute, and the children ran quickly to the shelter.
雨停了一會兒，孩子們趁機快速跑到遮蔽處。
Heather rested for a minute on the bench before walking up the hill again.
Heather 在長椅上休息了一會兒，才繼續走上山丘。
Hugo said he would be back in a minute after checking the mail room.
Hugo 說他去檢查一下郵件室，馬上回來。
文法句型
a minute
for a minute
in a minute
用法筆記
In spoken English, 'a minute' in this sense does not refer to an exact 60-second period. Contrast with sense 1, where 'five minutes' means exactly 300 seconds. Also used in polite requests: 'Just a minute, please.'
常見錯誤
3. A short period when you are not busy, used to ask whether someone is free to tal
有空
有空閒時間
A short period when you are not busy, used to ask whether someone is free to talk or help with something.
"Do you have a minute?" Faisal asked, knocking on the manager's open door.
Faisal 敲了敲經理敞開的門問：「你有空嗎？」
have a minute — question form asking for time
Zuri hoped the director would have a minute between meetings to sign the form.
Zuri 希望主管在會議之間有空幫她簽那份表格。
The professor did not have a minute to look at Hyun's draft before the deadline.
教授在截止日前沒有空看 Hyun 的草稿。
If you have a minute, could you check the numbers in this spreadsheet for me?
如果你有空，可以幫我檢查一下這份試算表的數字嗎？
文法句型
have a minute
have a minute to + infinitive
用法筆記
Almost always used in questions ('Do you have a minute?') or negative statements ('I don't have a minute'). Distinguished from sense 2 by focusing on availability rather than elapsed duration.
4. An official written summary of the discussions, decisions, and action points fro
會議記錄
正式會議的書面摘要
An official written summary of the discussions, decisions, and action points from a formal meeting.
The secretary read out the minutes from last month's board meeting.
秘書宣讀了上個月董事會的會議記錄。
the minutes of [meeting] — formal collocation
Asher was asked to take the minutes during the weekly team discussion.
Asher 被指派負責撰寫每週團隊討論的會議記錄。
All committee members received a copy of the minutes by email the next morning.
隔天早上，所有委員會成員都透過電子郵件收到了會議記錄副本。
The minutes showed that the board had voted to approve the new safety policy.
會議記錄顯示，董事會已投票通過新的安全政策。
- record
more general; not specific to meetings
- proceedings
more formal; covers everything that happened, not just decisions
文法句型
the minutes of + noun
take the minutes
read the minutes
用法筆記
Always used in the plural form 'minutes' when referring to meeting records. 'Take the minutes' means to write them down; 'read / approve the minutes' refers to reviewing and confirming them at the next meeting.
常見錯誤
5. A short written message sent between colleagues within an organization, often pr
備忘錄
組織內部的簡短官方通知
A short written message sent between colleagues within an organization, often proposing or recommending a specific action.
The director sent a minute to all staff about the new parking rules.
主管發了一封備忘錄給全體員工，說明新的停車規定。
minute about [topic] — formal memo sense
Pim drafted a minute recommending changes to the office cleaning schedule.
Pim 草擬了一份備忘錄，建議修改辦公室的清潔時間表。
Each department head received a minute outlining the updated safety procedures.
每位部門主管都收到了一份備忘錄，概述更新的安全程序。
The manager's minute asked team leaders to submit their budget proposals by Friday.
經理的備忘錄要求團隊主管在週五前提交預算提案。
文法句型
minute + about/on + noun
用法筆記
Primarily British English. In American English, 'memorandum' or 'memo' is preferred. Distinguished from sense 4: this is a single note between colleagues, not the formal record of a meeting.
常見錯誤
6. One of the 60 equal units used for measuring angles; each unit equals one sixtie
角分
角度的六十分之一
One of the 60 equal units used for measuring angles; each unit equals one sixtieth of a degree and is written with the symbol ′.
The map gave the coordinates as forty-five degrees and thirty minutes north.
地圖上標示的座標為北緯四十五度三十分。
degrees + minutes for coordinates
A navigation error of just one minute can push a ship several miles off course.
僅僅一角分的導航誤差，就可能讓船偏離航線好幾海里。
Lucas adjusted the telescope a few minutes for a clearer view of the star.
Lucas 將望遠鏡調整了幾角分，以便更清楚地觀察那顆星星。
The surveyor recorded the angle as twelve degrees and forty-five minutes exactly.
測量員記錄的角度精確為十二度四十五分。
A full circle measures three hundred sixty degrees, each degree split into sixty minutes.
一個完整的圓為三百六十度，每一度又分為六十分。
- arcminute
more precise technical term; 'minute of arc'
文法句型
number + minute(s)
degree(s) + minute(s) + second(s)
用法筆記
Used in geometry, navigation, astronomy, and surveying. Follows the same sexagesimal system as time: 1 degree = 60 minutes, 1 minute = 60 seconds (″). Not to be confused with the time sense — context (degrees / coordinates / angles) disambiguates.
常見錯誤
minute — 動詞
1. To write down an official summary of what is discussed and decided during a form
做會議記錄
記錄會議的討論內容
To write down an official summary of what is discussed and decided during a formal meeting, producing a record called 'the minutes'.
Linh was asked to minute the discussions at the quarterly review meeting.
Linh 被指派記錄季度檢討會議的討論內容。
minute + discussions / proceedings — formal transitive
The committee secretary minuted every decision made during the three-hour session.
委員會秘書記錄了長達三小時會議中所做的每一項決議。
Faisal carefully minuted the objections raised by the finance department.
Faisal 仔細記錄了財務部門提出的異議。
It is standard practice to minute all motions and the results of each vote.
標準做法是將所有提案及投票結果記錄下來。
Padma's suggestion was minuted and later included in the final version of the report.
Padma 的建議被記錄在案，後來納入了報告的最終版本。
文法句型
minute + noun phrase
be minuted
用法筆記
Primarily British English. Often used in formal meeting contexts. The passive form 'be minuted' is common: 'The agreement was minuted.' Not to be confused with the noun 'minutes' (sense 4) — this is the verb form of the same concept.
常見錯誤
minute — 形容詞
1. Extremely small in size, amount, or degree — often so small that it is hard to s
微小的
極小、難以察覺的
Extremely small in size, amount, or degree — often so small that it is hard to see or measure without careful attention.
The handwriting on the old letter was so minute that Élise needed a magnifying glass.
那封舊信上的字跡非常微小，Élise 需要放大鏡才看得清楚。
minute + noun for extremely small size
Minute cracks in the wall let in a thin stream of cold winter air.
牆壁上的微小裂縫讓一股冷風透了進來。
The scientist examined the minute organisms living in a single drop of pond water.
科學家觀察了存在於一滴池塘水中的微小生物。
There was a minute difference between the two shades of blue that Heather mixed.
Heather 調出的兩種藍色之間只有微小的差異。
The jeweller used a special lens to see the minute scratches on the diamond surface.
珠寶商用特殊的放大鏡來觀察鑽石表面的微小刮痕。
- tiny
more common and less formal; used in everyday speech
- minuscule
similar formality; suggests something surprisingly or impressively small
- microscopic
more technical; suggests something visible only under magnification
文法句型
minute + noun
用法筆記
Pronounced /maɪˈnjuːt/ (my-NOOT), distinctly different from the noun 'minute' /ˈmɪnɪt/ (MIN-it). More formal than 'tiny' or 'small'. Often used in scientific or technical descriptions where precision matters.
常見錯誤
2. Done with great care and very close attention to every detail, leaving nothing u
精細的；詳盡
非常仔細且詳盡的
Done with great care and very close attention to every detail, leaving nothing unexamined.
The inspector carried out a minute examination of the building's electrical system.
檢查員對大樓的電力系統進行了精細的檢查。
minute examination / inspection — thorough checking
Anong kept minute records of every expense, down to the smallest coin spent.
Anong 對每一筆開支都做了精細記錄，連最小的零錢也不放過。
The lawyer studied the contract with minute attention to every single clause.
律師以精細的態度仔細研讀合約中的每一項條款。
Dylan wrote a minute description of the crime scene for the police report.
Dylan 對犯罪現場做了詳盡的描述，供警方報告使用。
- thorough
more common; focuses on completeness
- meticulous
similar formality; emphasizes care to avoid mistakes
- painstaking
emphasizes that the process required great effort
- cursory
performed with little attention to detail
- superficial
opposite in depth of examination
文法句型
minute + noun (examination/description/record)
用法筆記
Also pronounced /maɪˈnjuːt/. Unlike sense 1 (which focuses on physical size), this sense describes the quality of an action or process — how carefully something is done. Common with nouns like 'examination', 'analysis', 'description', 'inspection', 'detail'.