Minimerat

Minimerat is the past participle and participial adjective of the Swedish verb minimera, meaning to reduce something to its smallest possible amount or degree. As a verb form, minimerat appears in perfect tenses: for example, “kostnaderna har minimerats” or “riskerna hade minimerats.” As an adjective, it describes something that has been reduced, such as “ett minimerat antal” or “minimerat avfall.” The word is widely used in business, engineering, science, and public policy.

Etymology: Minimera comes from the prefix mini- meaning small and the verb "-mera" (to make) with influence from the English word minimize; the root ultimately traces to Latin minīmus meaning smallest. The form minimerat is standard in Swedish, though speakers may also use “minimalt” as an adverb meaning “to the smallest degree,” or employ the related participle forms consistent with grammar.

In usage, minimerat denotes completed reduction. In economics and operations research one may speak of “minimerat kostnadsresultat” or “minimerat avfall,” while in privacy and data handling one might say “minimera datamängden” or “minimerat antalet personuppgifter” to describe compliance with data minimization principles. In mathematics and computer science, it is used in expressions like “minimerat värde” referring to the minimum of a function, as opposed to “maximalt” for maximum.

See also: minimize, minimization, optimization, data minimization, efficient frontier.