minion
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person who works for a powerful leader and does whatever they are told, often doing boring or unimportant tasks.
a subordinate official or servant, often one who follows orders without question.
Simple“The villain sent his minions to capture the hero before he could escape.”
In context“The CEO rarely visited the factory floor, preferring to send his minions to deliver unpopular news to the workers.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
someone who follows a powerful person and praises them just to get an advantage.
a servile or sycophantic follower of a person in power.
Simple“He is always surrounded by minions who agree with everything he says.”
In context“The politician's entourage was composed largely of minions hoping to secure appointments in the new administration.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a very small size of printed letters, usually called 7-point type.
a size of type between nonpareil and brevier, standardized in the American system as 7-point.
Simple“The old book was printed in minion, making it very difficult to read without a glass.”
In context“The compositor noted that the footnotes were set in minion to save space on the crowded page.”
Synonyms7 point type - 04 C2 Proficiency
a person who is loved or liked very much by someone powerful.
a person who is particularly esteemed or favored by a sovereign or other high-ranking individual.
Simple“In the old story, the king's minion was given a beautiful palace to live in.”
In context“The Duke was known as the Queen's minion, a position that earned him both great wealth and the envy of the court.”
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 minþijō, mindijō (“affectionate thought, care”), from Proto-Indo-European men- (“to think”). Doublet of mignon.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.