Mince
/mɪns/noun
To cut or chop food into very small pieces; also, to soften or affect speech or behavior in an affected way.
Did you know?English mince comes through Old French from a Latin root meaning “to press or knead,” not from any occult source—yet its history shows how a word for physical crushing evolved into delicate cutting and even fussy behavior.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“to grind, crush, or bruise”
Latin
Latin
minutiare
“to make small; to cut into small pieces”
Old French
Old French
mincier
“to chop finely; to mince”
Middle English
English
mincen
“to cut into small pieces; later, to affect delicacy in speech or manner”
Modern English
English
mince
“to cut or chop very finely; to speak or act in an affected, delicate way”