What Is Minim (Uk)?
The minim UK is a very small old unit for measuring liquids. It was mainly used by doctors and pharmacists in Britain to measure medicine drops. Today we usually change minims into milliliters so they are easier to understand.
Definition
The minim UK is a unit of liquid volume in the old British apothecary and imperial systems.
- 1 UK minim is about 0.059 milliliters (mL).
- That means it is a little less than one twentieth of a milliliter.
- There are about 17 UK minims in 1 milliliter.
So, if you see an old medical recipe that says 10 minims, it is close to 0.6 mL of liquid.
History / Origin
The word minim comes from Latin minimus, which means smallest. It was created as the smallest standard medicine measure, smaller than a drop measured by eye.
In the 1800s and early 1900s, doctors and pharmacists in the United Kingdom used the minim in the apothecary system. It helped them give very small, careful doses of strong liquid medicines. Later, the UK changed to the metric system. Pharmacies began to use milliliters instead, and the minim slowly disappeared from everyday medical work.
Today, the minim UK is mostly seen in old books, historical prescriptions, and some traditional medicine recipes. It is rarely used in modern clinics or hospitals.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The UK minim is usually written with these short forms:
- min or min. is the most common abbreviation.
- In some very old texts, a special mark that looks like a small m was used, but this is not common now.
Important note:
- The time unit minute is often shortened as min too.
- To avoid confusion, writers normally make it clear in the text whether they mean minutes of time or minims of volume.
Current Use Around the World
Today, the minim UK is almost never used for new measurements. Modern science and medicine use metric units like milliliter and liter instead.
You may still find the UK minim in:
- Old medical books and pharmacy manuals from the United Kingdom.
- Historic recipes for medicines, perfumes, and tinctures.
- Antique measuring tools like old medicine droppers and glass measures.
- Study of history in pharmacy and medicine, where students learn old units so they can read original texts.
Some countries once linked their own apothecary systems to the British system, so the UK minim may appear in those older documents too. However, no modern country uses the UK minim as an official unit today.
Example Conversions
These examples show how UK minims change into milliliters and some everyday units. Values are rounded to make them easy to use.
Basic conversion
- 1 minim (UK) ≈ 0.059 mL
- 10 minims (UK) ≈ 0.59 mL
- 20 minims (UK) ≈ 1.18 mL
- 60 minims (UK) ≈ 3.55 mL
- 480 minims (UK) ≈ 28.4 mL
Simple table
| Minim (UK) | Approx. milliliters (mL) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.059 mL |
| 5 | 0.30 mL |
| 10 | 0.59 mL |
| 15 | 0.89 mL |
| 20 | 1.18 mL |
| 30 | 1.78 mL |
| 60 | 3.55 mL |
| 120 | 7.10 mL |
Connection to other UK imperial units
- 60 minims (UK) = 1 UK fluid dram ≈ 3.55 mL.
- 480 minims (UK) = 1 UK fluid ounce ≈ 28.4 mL.
Rough everyday comparisons
- 1 teaspoon of liquid is about 5 mL, which is roughly 85 UK minims.
- 1 tablespoon of liquid is about 15 mL, which is roughly 255 UK minims.
Related Units
The UK minim is related to several other volume units, both old and modern.
- Milliliter (mL) The main modern medical unit for small liquid amounts. 1 minim UK is about 0.059 mL.
- Liter (L) Main metric volume unit. 1 L = 1,000 mL ≈ 16,900 UK minims.
- Drop A non standard idea of a single drip of liquid. In old medicine a drop was often treated like a minim, but real drops can be bigger or smaller.
- Fluid dram (UK) Old UK unit used in pharmacy. 1 fluid dram UK = 60 UK minims.
- Fluid ounce (UK) Old UK volume unit for liquids. 1 UK fluid ounce = 8 UK fluid drams = 480 UK minims.
- Teaspoon Kitchen unit, about 5 mL, around 85 UK minims.
- Tablespoon Kitchen unit, about 15 mL, around 255 UK minims.
- Minim (US) American version defined in the US customary system. 1 US minim is about 0.062 mL, a little larger than the UK minim.
FAQs
Is the UK minim still used today
Not in normal life. Modern doctors and pharmacists use milliliters. The UK minim now appears mostly in old books, museum pieces, and historical research.
What is the difference between the UK minim and the US minim
They are defined from different fluid ounce systems. A US minim is slightly bigger, about 0.062 mL, while a UK minim is about 0.059 mL. For careful science or medicine, you must know which one is meant.
How many UK minims are in 1 milliliter
There are about 17 UK minims in 1 mL. A quick rough rule is 1 mL ≈ 17 minims.
Can I treat a minim as one drop of liquid
Old pharmacists used the minim as a careful, standard version of a drop. Real drops from a bottle can change in size, so a random drop is not always equal to one minim. For exact work, always use the milliliter value instead of guessing by eye.
Why should I learn about the UK minim
Knowing the minim UK helps you read and understand historic medical texts, old prescriptions, and antique measuring tools. It also helps you convert old formulas into modern metric units safely.
How do I convert UK minims to milliliters quickly
Multiply the number of UK minims by 0.059. For example, 20 minims × 0.059 ≈ 1.18 mL. For rough mental math, you can use 0.06 instead.