Mignon - this word came to us from the French language. It is used today as a designation for something cute or tiny. The word has a similar meaning to Russian "cutie." What other meanings does the word have, we will consider further.
The medieval meaning of the word
In the Middle Ages in France, the young moons of the king were called minions. They enjoyed unprecedented influence. Usually they were young people of beautiful appearance. They were the retinue of the king or nobles and accompanied them everywhere. They were also guards, sometimes advisers and even lovers. It is because of this that the meaning of the word "minion" at that time received a somewhat dismissive content.
One of the most famous historical events associated with the minions is considered a duel of 1857. In this fight, two young men died. They were one of the favorites of King George III.
Ballroom dance
This word has one more meaning. In music and dance, the minion is one of the varieties of the waltz. It was very popular in the late XIX - early XX century. It is performed to music with the same name. Refers to a figured waltz. A special feature is the second waltz figure, namely a series of side steps and turns. Dance can be performed in pairs or in team building. The pace of the music is not very fast; it is performed in a circle.
Light bulb
Another meaning of the word "minion" is an elongated bulb with a small base, only 15 mm. These incandescent lamps have low power, so they are used in low-power light sources. Minion bulbs rarely have a power greater than 15-25 watts. But still, you can see the types of light bulbs minions at 40 watts.
Other meanings of the word minion
Due to the fact that the word implies something of a small size, it is customary to call them small vinyl records and a font the size of which is 2.53 mm. It is used for pocket books.
In addition, the minion is also a certain kind of cheese. Its manufacturing technology consists of a 21-day ripening period.
In cooking, a minion is a dish made from finely chopped meat over high heat. But this is not the only "culinary" meaning of the word. A very popular dish is a piece of beef, which is cut from a thin part of the tenderloin. Mignon is a gentle steak of medium roast.
Recently, the meaning of the word has been associated with funny minions of a cartoon villain.
After the release of the cartoon "Despicable Me", the heroes of the project gained unprecedented popularity. According to the idea of the authors, minions are small unusual shapes of yellow people serving the main character of the picture.