German word

minus

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈmiːnʊs/

Meaning

  • prepositionminus

Example

Heute sind es minus drei Grad.

It's minus three degrees today.

Illustration for minus (minus)

More examples

Das Ergebnis liegt bei minus fünf Prozent.

The result is at minus five percent.

Core concept

A value placed on the negative side of a scale, such as a temperature or account balance below zero.

Common phrases

  • minus fünf Prozent

    minus five percent

  • auf minus zehn Grad

    to minus ten degrees

Similar words

plus: Used between two numbers to indicate addition.
unter: Marks a value as lower than a given level or benchmark.
abzüglich: Indicates that a specified amount is subtracted from a total or quantity.

Definition in German

Bei Temperaturen, Kontoständen oder Rechnungen vor einer Zahl steht und ein negatives Vorzeichen kennzeichnet.

Word origin

German minus was borrowed from Latin minus, meaning "less," and became the term for a negative value in mathematics and related contexts.

Usage tips

  • The preposition-like word comes before a value in "minus drei Grad," but the arithmetic expression is "zwei minus eins ist eins."

Opposites

Word lists with this word