Etymology

de minimis

Today it means: Concerning things that are so minor as to be negligible, trivial, or trifling. Often used to describe exemptions in government rules and regulations. Full definition →

Latin de minimīs
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The story

  1. Latin · borrowed fromde minimīs
  2. English todayde minimis

Borrowed from Latin de minimīs, ablative of minimus (“smallest, least”); shortened form of the legal maxim de minimis non curat lex (literally “the law does not concern itself with trifling matters”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.