Adjacent Words

Minion definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MIN'ION, a. [infra.] Fine; trim; dainty. [Not used.]
MINION, n. min'yon. A favorite; a darling; particularly, the favorite of a prince, on whom he lavishes his favors; one who gains favors by flattery or mean adulation.
Edward sent an army into Ireland, not for conquest, but to guard the person of his minion, Piers Gaviston.
The drowsy tyrant by his minions led.
MIN'ION, n. [L. minor. See Mince.]
A small kind of printing types.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a servile or fawning dependant

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle French mignon darling Date: circa 1500 1. a servile dependent, follower, or underling 2. one highly favored ; idol 3. a subordinate or petty official

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. derog. 1 a servile agent; a slave. 2 a favourite servant, animal, etc. 3 a favourite of a sovereign etc. Etymology: F mignon, OF mignot, of Gaulish orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Minion Min"ion, a. [See 2d Minion.] Fine; trim; dainty. [Obs.] ``Their . . . minion dancing.'' --Fryth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Minion Min"ion, n. Minimum. [Obs.] --Burton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Minion Min"ion, n. [F. mignon, fr. OHG. minni love, G. minne; akin to E. mind. See Mind, and cf. Mignonette.] 1. A loved one; one highly esteemed and favored; -- in a good sense. [Obs.] God's disciple and his dearest minion. --Sylvester. Is this the Athenian minion whom the world Voiced so regardfully? --Shak. 2. An obsequious or servile dependent or agent of another; a fawning favorite. --Sir J. Davies. Go, rate thy minions, proud, insulting boy! --Shak. 3. (Print.) A small kind of type, in size between brevier and nonpareil. [hand] This line is printed in minion type. 4. An ancient form of ordnance, the caliber of which was about three inches. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(minions) If you refer to someone's minions, you are referring to people who have to do what that person tells them to do, especially unimportant or boring tasks. (LITERARY) She delegated the job to one of her minions. = underling N-COUNT: usu pl, usu poss N [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Favorite (in an ill sense), creature, dependant, parasite, hanger-on.

Moby Thesaurus

Charlie McCarthy, adherent, agent, ancilla, apple-polisher, appliance, ass-licker, backscratcher, backslapper, bootlick, bootlicker, brown-nose, brownie, clawback, contrivance, cosset, courtier, creature, cringer, darling, dependent, device, disciple, dummy, dupe, favorite, fawner, feudatory, figurehead, flatterer, flunky, follower, fondling, footlicker, gillie, go-between, goon, groveler, handmaid, handmaiden, handshaker, hanger-on, helot, henchman, homager, idol, implement, inferior, instrument, interagent, intermediary, intermediate, intermedium, jackal, jewel, kowtower, lackey, led captain, lever, lickspit, lickspittle, liege, liege man, man, matinee idol, mealymouth, mechanism, mediator, medium, midwife, myrmidon, organ, pawn, peon, pet, plaything, preference, puppet, retainer, satellite, serf, servant, slave, spaniel, spoiled child, stooge, subordinate, suck, sycophant, thug, timeserver, toad, toadeater, toady, tool, toy, trucker, truckler, tufthunter, underling, understrapper, vassal, vehicle, votary, yeoman, yes-man