different between picayune vs minutiae

English

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from southern French picaillon, pécaillon, picayon (“type of small foreign coin; (informal, especially in the plural) cash, money”), and from its etymon Occitan picalhon, picaioun (“cheaply made Savoyan-Piedmontese coin that was rapidly demonetized; (by extension) cash, money”), probably from Occitan piquar (“to ring (bells); to knock, strike”) (referring to the clinking of coins in a pocket), originally imitative.

The adjective is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ?p?k'?'yo?on, IPA^(key): /?p?k??ju?n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p?k??jun/, /-ki-/
• Rhymes: -u?n
• Hyphenation: pic?a?yune

Noun

picayune (plural picayunes) (chiefly US)

1. (numismatics, especially Louisiana, historical) A small coin of the value of six-and-a-quarter cents; a Spanish coin with a value of half a real; a fippenny bit.
2. (by extension, archaic) A coin worth five cents (a nickel) or some other low value.
3. (figuratively, informal) A person regarded as unworthy of respect or useless; also, something of very little value; a trifle.

   (person unworthy of respect or useless): Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonentity

   (something of very little value): Synonyms: see Thesaurus:trifle

4. (figuratively, informal) An argument, fact, or other issue raised (often intentionally) that distracts from a larger issue or fails to make any difference.

Derived terms

• picayuneish, picayunish
• picayunishness
• picayunity

Translations

Adjective

picayune (comparative more picayune, superlative most picayune) (chiefly US, informal)

1. Of little consequence; small and of little importance; petty, trivial.

   Synonyms: picayunish; see also Thesaurus:insignificant
2. Childishly spiteful; tending to go on about unimportant things; small-minded.

   Synonyms: peevish, petty

Derived terms

• picayunely
• picayuneness

Translations

Notes

References

Further reading

• picayune on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• picayune (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Picayune in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

English

Alternative forms

• minutiæ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma??n(j)u??(?)?i?/, /ma??n(j)u??(?)?a?/, /m??n(j)u??(?)?i?/, /m??n(j)u??(?)?a?/, /m??nju??ie?/

Noun

minutiae

1. plural of minutia

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /mi?nu?.ti.ae?/, [m??nu?t?iäe?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /mi?nu.t?si.e/, [mi?nu?t??s?i?]

Noun

min?tiae

1. nominative plural of min?tia
2. genitive singular of min?tia
3. dative singular of min?tia
4. vocative plural of min?tia