Mínútur

Mínútur is the Icelandic word for a unit of time equal to sixty seconds. In everyday timekeeping, a minute is the span between seconds and hours, and sixty minutes constitute one hour. Minutes are used to express durations, schedules, and intervals in daily life, work, travel, and education.

The word mínúta is derived from Latin minuta and is cognate with related terms in other Nordic languages, such as Danish minut, Norwegian minutt, and Swedish minut. In Icelandic, the modern form is written with the acute accents on the i and u.

In Icelandic grammar, mínúta is a feminine noun; its plural is mínútur and its singular is mínúta. The term is used both for precise time measurements and for informal references to short durations, such as moments in plans or events. Numbers are typically used with the plural form for most counts.

Beyond timekeeping, the term can appear in angular measurement as well, where a minute of arc is a subdivision of a degree. There are sixty arcminutes in a degree, a convention used in astronomy, navigation, and geodesy. In practice, the time sense is the most common usage in everyday Icelandic.