means The smallest possible amount, degree, or quantity of something — the lowest acceptable point.

from Straight from Latin minimum, the neuter form of minimus, meaning 'smallest' or 'least' — itself the superlative of parvus, 'small.' It entered English in the 17th century as a mathematical and logical term for the lowest value, the exact mirror of its twin maximum. The same Latin root quietly survives in 'minor,' 'minute,' and 'diminish' — a whole family devoted to making things smaller.