An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/minder

by Friedrich Kluge

minder, comparative of gering and wenig, ‘less, inferior, lower’; from Middle High German minre, minner, Old High German minniro, comparative of luzzil, ‘little, small.’ To this is allied the Old High German and Middle High German adverb min (like baȥ allied to bęȥȥiro). A common Teutonic comparative formed like Gothic minniza,. adverb, mins, Anglo-Saxon min; the corresponding superlative is Gothic minnists, Old High German minnist, Middle High German minnest, Modern High German mindest, with the d of the comparative which has been evolved in Modern High German between the n and r; the positive is wanting, as in the ease of ehr, besser, seit, &c. Since en in these cognates, as in Mann, has originated in nw for nu, the word is based on the Latin-Greek verbal stem minu-, whence also Latin minor, minimus; compare Latin minuere, Greek μυύω; Old Slovenian mĭnij, ‘minor,’ Greek μίνυ-νθα, ‘a little while.’ The oldest form of the root is Aryan mî (mī̆), with the present stems mĭnâ- and mĭnu-, ‘to lessen, shorten,’ of which the Old Indian would be *mẽymas (equivalent to Greek μείων); compare also Greek μειόω, ‘to diminish.’