mince: Meaning and Definition of

mince

Pronunciation: (mins), [key]
— v., n. minced, minc•ing,
—v.t.
  1. to cut or chop into very small pieces.
  2. to soften, moderate, or weaken (one's words), esp. for the sake of decorum or courtesy.
  3. to perform or utter with affected elegance.
  4. to subdivide minutely, as land or a topic for study.
—v.i.
  1. to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps.
  2. to act or speak with affected elegance.
  3. orto speak directly and frankly; be blunt or outspoken: He was angry and didn't mince words.
—n.
  1. something cut up very small; mincemeat.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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