minimiere

Minimiere is the informal second-person singular imperative form of the German verb minimieren, meaning to minimize or reduce something to the smallest possible amount, size, or scope. As an imperative, it is used to address one person directly and instruct them to carry out the action of making something smaller.

Etymology and usage: The verb minimieren is a loanword in German, ultimately connected to the Latin minimum and the term minimum. It is used across contexts such as mathematics, economics, engineering, and everyday language. In written instructions or user interfaces, the infinitive minimieren appears in menus, while the imperative form minimiere is used in direct commands. In plural you would say minimiert (for ihr) or minimieren Sie (for Sie).

Forms and related terms: Besides the imperative minimiere, German provides other forms of the verb minimieren, including minimierst (present indicative for du), minimiert (for ihr), minimieren Sie (formal imperative), and minimiert (past participle minimiert). The related nouns include Minimierung or Minimierung, referring to the act or result of minimizing, and the adjective minimal or Minimalisierung as prefixes or modifiers.

Contexts: In software and user interfaces, you may encounter labels like Minimiere Fenster to hide a window. In scientific or mathematical texts, commands such as “Minimiere die Funktion f(x)” appear in exercises or algorithm descriptions. The term remains neutral and descriptive, serving as a standard action verb rather than a specialized concept.

See also: Minimierung, Minimum, Minimalisierung, Minimale.