Minutia
“Minutia” 是名词,指代极小的、具体的细节。虽然单数形式存在,但人们几乎总是使用它的复数形式 “minutiae”。在法律、行政或科学研究中,它描述那些容易被忽视但往往决定成败的小事。
- “She gets lost in the minutiae of the project and forgets the big picture.” (她沉溺于项目的细节之中,忘记了大局。)
- “The detective spent weeks studying the minutiae of the suspect’s daily routine.” (侦探花了几周时间研究嫌疑人日常生活的细枝末节。)
- “The report was filled with technical minutiae that only an expert could understand.” (报告中充满了只有专家才能理解的技术细节。)
源自拉丁语 “minutia”,意为“微小、细小”,词源是 “minutus”(细小的、减少的)。
词根 “min-” 意为“小”。
在法医学中,“minutiae” 有一个特定的含义:指纹上的细微特征(如脊线的端点和分叉)。这些特征是进行指纹比对和身份识别的基础。
- 复数形式:minutiae (最常用)
- 相关词:minute (微小的), minimal (最小的)
“Minutia” 与 “minute”(微小的)同源。想象一下,把时间切分成极其微小的“分钟”(minutes),就像把事情切分成极小的“细节”(minutiae)。
“The young clerk was overwhelmed by the minutiae of his new job. He had to remember the exact color of paper for every report and which stapler to use for different departments. However, he soon realized that mastering these small details was the secret to making the entire office run smoothly.” (年轻的店员被新工作的琐碎细节搞得头大。他必须记住每份报告要用什么颜色的纸,以及不同部门该用哪个订书机。然而,他很快意识到,掌握这些小细节是让整个办公室顺利运转的秘诀。)