mínima

Mínima is the feminine form of the adjective mínimo in Spanish and Portuguese, and can also function as a noun when the feminine noun it modifies is understood from context. It denotes the smallest degree, amount, extent, or value within a defined set or comparison. The masculine counterpart is mínimo.

In everyday usage, mínima appears in expressions such as temperatura mínima (minimum temperature), edad mínima (minimum age), inversión mínima (minimum investment), and altura mínima (minimum height). In formal contexts, it can modify feminine nouns in reference to limits or lower bounds, for example cota mínima or solución mínima.

In mathematics and the sciences, mínima is used to describe a minimum value or a minimal point when the relevant noun is feminine, for example solución mínima or cota mínima. It appears in phrases that specify the least value attained by a function, a sequence, or a measurement, with the exact noun determining the form of the phrase.

Origin and related terms: from Latin minimus, the word has cognates in other Romance languages and is widely used in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking contexts to denote the smallest quantity, limit, or degree. Related forms include mínimo (masculine) and minimal, which appear in similar meanings across different languages.