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Origin and history of mince

mince(v.)

late 14c., mincen, "to chop (meat, herbs, onions, etc.) in little pieces," from Old French mincier "make into small pieces," from Vulgar Latin *minutiare "make small," from Late Latin minutiæ "small bits," from Latin minutus "small" (from PIE root *mei- (2) "small").

From 1540s in reference to speech, "to utter primly or in a half-spoken way as affected delicacy, clip affectedly in imitation of elegance," of words or language, "to restrain in the interest of decorum," 1590s. The meaning "walk with short or precise steps or with affected nicety" is from 1560s. The etymological sense is "to make less, make small." Related: Minced; mincing.

mince(n.)

"minced meat," 1850; see mincemeat. Mince-pie "pie made with minced meat, fruit, etc.," long associated in England with Christmas festivities, is attested from c. 1600; as rhyming slang for eye (n.) it is attested by 1857. 

also from 1850

Entries linking to mince

mincemeat(n.)

also mince-meat, "meat chopped small," hence, "anything broken into small pieces," 1660s, originally in the figurative sense (what someone plans to make of his enemy), an alteration of earlier minced meat (1570s); from mince (v.) + meat (n.).

mincing(adj.)

"affectedly dainty, simpering," 1520s, probably originally in reference to speech, when words were "clipped" to affect elegance; or in reference to walking with short steps; present-participle adjective from mince (v.). Related: Mincingly.

*mei-(2)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "small."

It might form all or part of: administer; administration; comminute; diminish; meiosis; Menshevik; menu; metier; mince; minestrone; minim; minimum; minister; ministration; ministry; minor; minuend; minuet; minus; minuscule; minute; minutia; Miocene; mis- (2); mite (n.2) "little bit;" mystery (n.2) "handicraft, trade, art;" nimiety.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit miyate "diminishes, declines;" Greek meion "less, smaller;" Latin minus, minor "smaller," minuere "to diminish, reduce, lessen;" Old English minsian "to diminish;" Russian men'she "less."

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    soften
    late 14c., softenen, transitive, "mitigate, diminish" sorrow, etc., from soft (adj.) + -en (1). The meaning "make physically soft" is from c. 1400; the intransitive sense of "to become (physically) soft or softer" is attested from early 15c. The earlier verb was soft (v.) "make s
    moderate
    "not excessive in amount, intensity, quality, etc.," late 14c., originally of weather and other physical conditions, from Latin moderatus "within bounds, observing moderation;" figuratively "modest, restrained," past participle of moderari "to regulate, mitigate, restrain, temper
    nutrition
    1550s, "act or process by which organisms absorb their proper food into their systems and build it into living tissue," from Old French nutrition (14c.) and directly from Latin nutritionem (nominative nutritio) "a nourishing," noun of action from past-participle stem of nutrire "
    chop
    "to cut with a quick blow," mid-14c., of uncertain origin, not found in Old English, perhaps from Old North French choper (Old French coper "to cut, cut off," 12c., Modern French couper), from Vulgar Latin *cuppare "to behead," from a root meaning "head," but influenced in Old Fr
    nourishment
    early 15c., norishement, "food, sustenance, that which, taken into the system, tends to nourish," from Old French norissement "food, nourishment," from norrir (see nourish). From c. 1300 as "fostering, upbringing; act of nourishing or state of being nourished." Figurative sense o
    alert
    "on the watch," 1610s, from French alerte "vigilant" (17c.), from prepositional phrase à l'erte "on the watch," from Italian all'erta "to the height." The second element is from erta "lookout, high tower," noun use of fem. of erto, past participle of ergere "raise up," from Latin
    alter
    late 14c., "to change (something), make different in some way," from Old French alterer "to change, alter," from Medieval Latin alterare "to change," from Latin alter "the other (of the two)," from PIE root *al- (1) "beyond" + comparative suffix -ter (as in other). Intransitive s
    change
    c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
    sustenance
    c. 1300, sustenaunce, "that which is essential to sustain life; food, victuals, provisions," also "means of living, income, wealth," from Anglo-French sustenance, sustenaunce, Old French sostenance "support, aid" (Modern French soutenance), from Late Latin sustinentia "endurance,
    modify
    late 14c., modifien, "alter, amend, adjust, change the properties, form, or function of;" also "set limits, keep within the bounds of reason; choose a middle course," from Old French modifier (14c.), from Latin modificare "to limit, measure off, restrain," from modus "measure, ma

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