Minuty

Minuty is the Polish plural form of the time unit minute. A minute is defined as 60 seconds and is 1/60 of an hour, making it a key unit in everyday timekeeping and scheduling. The concept originated in the medieval adoption of the sexagesimal (base-60) system and was standardized through the development of mechanical clocks in Europe, enabling more precise measurement of time.

In practical use, minutes indicate short intervals, durations, and the amount of time before or after a specified hour. On clocks and timetables, the display of minutes accompanies hours to convey precise times, such as 14:35. In Polish, minuty refers to multiple minutes, as in “trzy minuty” (three minutes).

The term also appears in the broader scientific context as angular minutes. One arcminute (1 arcmin) equals 1/60 of a degree and is subdivided into arcseconds (1 arcsec = 60 arcseconds). This angular usage shares terminology with the time unit but serves a different measurement purpose.

Abbreviations for minutes vary by context. In many clocks and technical writings, “min” is used, while the symbol for angular minutes is the prime (′). Context usually clarifies whether the reference is to time or angular measure.

Historically, the division of hours into minutes facilitated precise, standardized timekeeping, a foundation for modern schedules, time zones, and daily life. Minuty thus denote both a basic temporal unit and a cultural-linguistic element of measuring time in Polish.