minutia

Definitions

1. A minor detail, often of negligible importance.
2. Any of the point features on fingerprints used for matching, usually endings and bifurcations of ridges.

Equivalents

Examples

“They spent all their time on minutiae, never making real progress⟳.”

“I think⟳ I can ſee the preciſe and diſtinguiſhing marks of national characters more in theſe nonſenſical minutiæ, than in the moſt important matters of ſtate ; where great men of all nations talk⟳ and ſtalk ſo much alike, that I would not give⟳ ninepence to chuſe amongſt them.”

CEFR level