What is "minus"

minus \mi"nus\ (m[imac]"n[u^]s), n.; pl. minuses (m[imac]"n[u^]s*[-e]z). A factor counted as a disadvantage; a loss or potential loss in a situation or plan; as, he added up all the pluses and minuses and decided not to do it; as, the lack of money is a big minus in an election campaign.

Negative \Neg"a*tive\ (n[e^]g"[.a]*t[i^]v), a. [F. n['e]gatif, L. negativus, fr. negare to deny. See Negation.]

1. Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; -- opposed to affirmative.

   If thou wilt confess, Or else be impudently negative.
   --Shak.

   Denying me any power of a negative voice.
   --Eikon Basilike.

   Something between an affirmative bow and a negative shake.
   --Dickens.

2. Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; negative evidence; a negative morality; negative criticism.

   There in another way of denying Christ, . . . which is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess him.
   --South.

3. (Logic) Asserting absence of connection between a subject and a predicate; as, a negative proposition.

4. (Photog.) Of or pertaining to a picture upon glass or other material, in which the lights and shades of the original, and the relations of right and left, are reversed.

5. (Chem.) Metalloidal; nonmetallic; -- contrasted with positive or basic; as, the nitro group is negative. Note: This word, derived from electro-negative, is now commonly used in a more general sense, when acidiferous is the intended signification. Negative crystal.

   1. A cavity in a mineral mass, having the form of a crystal.

   2. A crystal which has the power of negative double refraction. See refraction.

      negative electricity (Elec.), the kind of electricity which is developed upon resin or ebonite when rubbed, or which appears at that pole of a voltaic battery which is connected with the plate most attacked by the exciting liquid; -- formerly called resinous electricity. Opposed to positive electricity. Formerly, according to Franklin's theory of a single electric fluid, negative electricity was supposed to be electricity in a degree below saturation, or the natural amount for a given body. See Electricity.

      Negative eyepiece. (Opt.) see under Eyepiece.

      Negative quantity (Alg.), a quantity preceded by the negative sign, or which stands in the relation indicated by this sign to some other quantity. See Negative sign (below).

      Negative rotation, right-handed rotation. See Right-handed, 3.

      Negative sign, the sign -, or minus (opposed in signification to +, or plus), indicating that the quantity to which it is prefixed is to be subtracted from the preceding quantity, or is to be reckoned from zero or cipher in the opposite direction to that of quanties having the sign plus either expressed or understood; thus, in a - b, b is to be substracted from a, or regarded as opposite to it in value; and -10[deg] on a thermometer means 10[deg] below the zero of the scale.

late 15c., "with subtraction of," from Latin minus "less," neuter of minor "smaller," from PIE *mi-nu-, suffixed form of root *mei- (2) "small" (cognates: Latin minuere "to diminish, reduce, lessen," Greek meion "less, smaller," Old English minsian "to diminish," Sanskrit miyate "diminishes, declines," Russian men'she "less").\n

\nMathematical use in expressions of calculation did not exist in the word in classical Latin and is probably from North Sea medieval commercial usage of Latin plus and minus to indicate surplus or deficiency of weight or measure. Origin of the "minus sign" is disputed.

1650s, from minus (prep.).

a. 1 (context mathematics English) negative. 2 On the negative part of a scale. 3 rank just below a designated rating. conj. (context mathematics English) difference#Noun of the previous number from the following number. n. 1 (context mathematics English) A minus sign (−). 2 (context mathematics English) A negative quantity. 3 A defect or deficiency. prep. (context informal English) without.

n. an arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated; "the subtraction of three from four leaves one"; "four minus three equals one" [syn: subtraction]

1. adj. on the negative side or lower end of a scale; "minus 5 degrees"; "a grade of B minus" [ant: plus]

2. involving disadvantage or harm; "minus (or negative) factors" [syn: negative]

Mínus are an Icelandic alternative rock/ hardcore band from Reykjavík. They are signed to the record label Smekkleysa. Mínus have shared the stage with, among others, Metallica, Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age.

minus is a webcomic created by Ryan Armand that ran from February 2006 to July 2008. It is a member of Koala Wallop, a webcomic collective that also includes Dresden Codak and Rice Boy. It was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2007 in the category of Best Digital Comic. New strips were usually released weekly on Thursdays. Many of the strips are standalone stories, though several follow a longer story or theme over the course of several weeks. The original website hosting the webcomic is currently no longer available, therefore it can only be viewed through independent backups.

Minus usually refers to the minus sign, a mathematical symbol.

Minus may also refer to:

• m_nus, a Canadian record label, see Minus (record label)
• Mínus, an Icelandic band
• "Minus" a song by Beck from Odelay
• "Minus" a song by In Flames from Reroute to Remain
• minus (webcomic), a webcomic
• Ray Minus (born 1964), a Bahamian boxer of the 1980s, '90s and 2000s

Minus is the second studio album by Australian music collective Dukes of Windsor, released on 5 September 2008.

Minus or M-nus is a recording label based in Berlin, Germany and Windsor, Canada. It was created in 1998 by Richie Hawtin when Plus 8, a label previously created by Hawtin, was put on hold. By 2005, M-nus was releasing 2 to 3 CDs and 12 to 14 records per year.

As Hawtin said of the scaling down to a smaller label, "You learn better who you are, what you are, and how to better present that and present it creatively. With Minus, we wanted to slow it down and try new things…" In 2011 Hawtin's music technology company Liine released Remiix Minus, a remix-app for iOS which enables fans to recombine loops and samples from Minus artists.