English Dictionary: MINCED | by the DICT Development Group |
1 result for MINCED | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Mince \Mince\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Minced}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Minging}.] [AS. minsian to grow less, dwindle, fr. min small; akin to G. minder less, Goth. minniza less, mins less, adv., L. minor, adj. (cf. {Minor}); or more likely fr. F. mincer to mince, prob. from (assumed) LL. minutiare. [?][?][?][?]. See {Minish}.] 1. To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine; to hash; as, to mince meat. --Bacon. 2. To suppress or weaken the force of; to extenuate; to palliate; to tell by degrees, instead of directly and frankly; to clip, as words or expressions; to utter half and keep back half of. I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say -- [bd]I love you.[b8] --Shak. Siren, now mince the sin, And mollify damnation with a phrase. --Dryden. If, to mince his meaning, I had either omitted some part of what he said, or taken from the strength of his expression, I certainly had wronged him. --Dryden. 3. To affect; to make a parade of. [R.] --Shak. |