minion

Pronunciation: /ˈmɪnjən/

The English word “minion” has 6 meanings listed here.

noun

A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
A sycophantic follower.
The size of type between nonpareil and brevier, standardized as 7-point.
A loved one; one highly esteemed and favoured.
An ancient form of ordnance with a calibre of about three inches.

adjective

Favoured, beloved; "pet".

Etymology

First use appears c. 1490, from Middle French mignon (“lover, royal favourite, darling”), from Old French mignon (“dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind”), from Frankish *minnju (“love, friendship, affection, memory”), from Proto-Germanic *minjō (“affectionate thought, care”), from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”). Doublet of mignon.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.