# mince

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɪns/ · frequency rank #28,293

## Definitions
1. Finely chopped meat; minced meat.
2. Finely chopped mixed fruit used in Christmas pies; mincemeat.
3. An affected (often dainty or short and precise) gait.
4. An affected manner, especially of speaking; an affectation.
5. An eye (from mince pie).
6. Something worthless; rubbish.

## Etymology
From Middle English mincen, minsen; partly from Old English minsian, ġeminsian (“to make less, make smaller, diminish”), from Proto-West Germanic *minnisōn, from Proto-Germanic *minnisōną (“to make less”); partly from Old French mincer, mincier (“to cut into small pieces”), from mince (“slender, slight, puny”), from Frankish *minsto, *minnisto, superlative of *min, *minn (“small, less”), from Proto-Germanic *minniz (“less”); both from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”). Cognate with Old Saxon minsōn (“to make less, make smaller”), Old Dutch minson (“to make smaller”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌶𐌽𐌰𐌽 (minznan, “to become less, diminish”), Swedish minska (“to reduce, lessen”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (mins, “slender, slight”). More at min.

## Easily confused with
- **mind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mind)
- **mine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mine)
- **mini** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mini)
- **mint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mint)
- **ming** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-ming)
- **mink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mink)
- **mite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mite)
- **mire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mire)
- **mino** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mino)
- **minor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-minor)
- **minds** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-minds)
- **mines** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mines)
- **minus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-minus)
- **mitch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mitch)
- **monte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-monte)
- **miner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-miner)
- **mined** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mined)
- **Minsk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-minsk)
- **Mindy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-mindy)
- **munch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mince-vs-munch)

## Common misspellings (7)
`imnce`, `micne`, `mincce`, `minec`, `minnce`, `mmince`, `mnice`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mince