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minuto

mee-NOO-toh/miˈnuto/

“minuto” means “minute” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

minute

Also: moment
NounmA1
A classic, simple hourglass standing on a table with sand actively flowing from the top chamber to the bottom chamber, symbolizing the passage of 60 seconds.

📝 In Action

La reunión empieza en cinco minutos.

A1

The meeting starts in five minutes.

Espera un minuto, por favor. Ya casi termino.

A1

Wait a minute, please. I'm almost done.

Corrió la milla en menos de seis minutos.

B1

He ran the mile in under six minutes.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • en el último minuto – at the last minute
  • un par de minutos – a couple of minutes
  • minuto de silencio – minute of silence

Idioms & Expressions

  • al minuto – right away, instantly; up-to-the-minute
  • por minutos – by a very narrow margin

minute

Also: arcminute
NounmC1formal
A close-up view of a large, perfect circle where a very fine, thin slice is separated and highlighted, representing a small angular measurement.

📝 In Action

La latitud se mide en grados, minutos y segundos.

C1

Latitude is measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Un grado se divide en sesenta minutos de arco.

C2

One degree is divided into sixty minutes of arc.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • minuto de arco (minute of arc)

Common Collocations

  • grado, minuto y segundo – degree, minute, and second

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "minuto" in Spanish:

arcminute→minute→moment→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: minuto

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'minuto' in its MOST common, everyday sense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
minutero(minute hand (of a clock)) — Noun
minutar(to time; to take the minutes (of a meeting)) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
brutofrutoluto
📚 Etymology▼

It comes from the Medieval Latin phrase 'pars minuta prima', which means 'first small part'. This was how they described dividing an hour into 60 smaller pieces. Fun fact: the 'second small part' ('pars minuta secunda') gave us the word 'segundo' for 'second'!

First recorded: 14th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: minuteItalian: minutoFrench: minute

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'minuto' and 'momento'?

'Minuto' is a specific measure of time: exactly 60 seconds. 'Momento' is a more general, undefined short period, just like 'moment' in English. Saying 'Espera un momento' (Wait a moment) feels a bit more flexible and common than 'Espera un minuto' (Wait one minute).

How do I abbreviate 'minuto' or 'minutos'?

The official international abbreviation is 'min'. You'll see this in recipes or technical writing. For example, 'Hervir durante 10 min.' (Boil for 10 min.). In informal writing, you might see people use 'mins.' but 'min' is the standard.