mini-, minor-, minut-, minu-, min-

(Latin: small, little, less; decline, decrease, diminish; become less, reduce, becoming smaller or shorter)

a maximis ad minima
From the greatest to the least.
A minimis quoque timendum.
One ought to fear even the tiniest of creatures.
administer, administers, administered, administering (verb forms)
1. To manage the affairs of a business, organization, or institution.
2. To preside over the dispensation of something: "The judge made every effort to administer justice in the fairest possible manner."
3. To give someone a measured amount of a medication, often by physically introducing it into the body.
4. To carry out a set ritual or religious ceremony on behalf of a person or a group of people.
5. To oversee the taking of an oath by someone.
6. To manage the distribution of, or dispose of, a deceased person's property in accordance with the law; an executor or administrator of a trust estate by a trustee.
7. Etymology: "to manage as a steward" from Old French aministrer, from Latin administrare, "to serve, to carry out, to manage"; from ad-, "to" + ministrare, "to serve".

The minister part of administer came from about 1300 meaning, "someone who acts by the authority of another person" from Old French ministre "servant" which came from Latin minister, ministri, "servant, priest's assistant" (in Middle Latin, "priest"), from minus, minor, "less".

The meaning of "priest" was established in English from the early 14th century. The political sense of "a high officer of the state" is determined from the 1620's from the concept of "service to the crown". The verb is from about 1300, originally meaning "to serve (food or drinks)".

administrant (s), administrants (pl) (noun forms)
administrate, administrates, administrated, administrating (verb forms)
administration (s), administrations (pl) (noun forms)
administrator (s), administrators (pl) (noun forms)
1. Someone whose job is to manage the affairs of a business, organization, or institution.
2. A person who is appointed by a court to manage the estate of someone who is deceased (dead); especially, when there is no competent executor available.
Altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi.
The deepest rivers flow with the least sound.

Another translation: "Still waters run deep."

coadministratrix (s); coadministratrices, coadministratrixes (pl) (noun forms)
A female coadministrator; that is, a woman who is a joint administrator with one or more people and whose job is to help manage a business, an organization, an institution, a government agency or a department, etc.
comminute, comminutes, comminuted, comminuting (verb forms)
1. To reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading (crunching, grinding).
comminution (s), comminutions (pl) (noun forms)
De minimis non curat praetor.
A praetor does not occupy himself with petty matters.

Also, "Don't bother me with petty matters." A praetor [PREET uhr] in ancient Rome was a magistrate who assisted the consuls by administering justice and commanding armies.

A related expression is the legal precept: De minimis non curat lex or "The law does not concern itself with trifles" or "The law does not care for, or take notice of, very small or trifling matters"; which is used to justify refusal by a court, particularly an appellate court, to hear a suit, on the basis that a court's time must not be taken up with matters of small importance.

Provision is made under certain criminal statutes for dismissing offenses that are de minimis.

The phrase, de minimis, also explains why income tax payments that are a few dollars short of what they should be are sometimes accepted without any complaint.

digitus minimus, digitus quintus
The little finger, also commonly referred to as the "pinky", is usually the smallest finger of the human hand, opposite the thumb, next to the "ring finger".

It is also called the "fifth finger", or the "fourth finger" colloquially [not counting the thumb as a "finger"].

diminish, diminishes, diminished, diminishing (verb forms)
1. To make something smaller or less important, or to become smaller or less important; to reduce in bulk or amount; to lessen; opposed to augment or increase.
2. To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken.
3. To contract a perfect or minor musical interval by one semitone.
4. To take away; to subtract; to decrease, lessen, abate, reduce, contract, curtail, impair, degrade.
5. To appear smaller, or to make something appear smaller.
diminishable (adjective)
1. Capable of being reduced in size or quantity.
2. Descriptive of something that is diminished or decreased.

Related "few, small, less, little" word units: micro-;mio-; nano-; oligo-, olig-.