Menu Means Small and Detailed
A menu lists dishes or options. The French word means small, because a menu was a detailed list written out in miniature.
Menus are lists of dishes or of available options. The French *menu* means small or detailed, from Latin *minutus*, and it named a *menu de repas*, a small detailed list of a meal, written for the kitchen rather than the guest. The same Latin word gives *minute*, both the time unit and the adjective meaning tiny. Computing borrowed the word in the 1960s, and it now covers everything from restaurants to phone screens.
- A list of dishes. *The evening menu.*
- A list of options. *The settings menu.*
- Menu de repas — the original French. *A menu de repas.*
- Minute — from the same root. *A minute detail.*
- Latin — *minutus*, small. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | menu | The menu. |
| Plural | menus | Two menus. |
| Adjective | menu-driven | Menu-driven. |
| French | menu | Small, detailed. |
| Latin | minutus | Made small. |
- Everything on the menu is local.Restaurant.
- Open the settings menu.Computing.
- Menu means small in French.Etymology.
The minutus family
- Menu — a small detailed list
- Minute — the time unit, a small part of an hour
- Minute — the adjective, meaning tiny
- Minutes — the detailed record of a meeting
- Diminish — to make smaller
French *menu*, small or detailed, from Latin *minutus*, made small, from *minuere*, to lessen.
Why does menu mean small?
Because it named a small detailed list of a meal, written for the kitchen. The word for the list came from its size.
Are menu and minute related?
Yes. Both come from Latin minutus, made small, which also gives the minutes of a meeting.