Minim (unit)
Encyclopedia
The minim is a unit
of volume
in both the imperial
and US customary
systems of measurement. Specifically it is of a fluidram or of a fluid ounce
.
In contrast with apothecaries' weight, apothecaries' measure is a system both recent and short-lived. It seems to have arisen with the United Kingdom
's defining of the new imperial gallon
in 1824, and is fully described at least as early as 1878 in the Weights and Measures Act. In the United Kingdom, the 1963 Weights and Measures Act provided for the abolition of the minim, fluid scruple, and fluid drachm, all already obsolete. Actual delegalization occurred on February 1, 1971.
While the use of the minim, along with other such measures, has been reduced by the adoption of the metric system
, it still persists in some countries in the measurement of dosages of medicine.
US customary minim
Units of measurement
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of...
of volume
Volume
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance or shape occupies or contains....
in both the imperial
Imperial unit
The system of imperial units or the imperial system is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which was later refined and reduced. The system came into official use across the British Empire...
and US customary
United States customary units
United States customary units are a system of measurements commonly used in the United States. Many U.S. units are virtually identical to their imperial counterparts, but the U.S. customary system developed from English units used in the British Empire before the system of imperial units was...
systems of measurement. Specifically it is of a fluidram or of a fluid ounce
Fluid ounce
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
.
In contrast with apothecaries' weight, apothecaries' measure is a system both recent and short-lived. It seems to have arisen with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's defining of the new imperial gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
in 1824, and is fully described at least as early as 1878 in the Weights and Measures Act. In the United Kingdom, the 1963 Weights and Measures Act provided for the abolition of the minim, fluid scruple, and fluid drachm, all already obsolete. Actual delegalization occurred on February 1, 1971.
While the use of the minim, along with other such measures, has been reduced by the adoption of the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
, it still persists in some countries in the measurement of dosages of medicine.
Definitions
Imperial minim| 1 imperial minim | = | imperial fluid ounce | |
| |= | imperial fluidram | ||
| |= | 9.1938802083 | microlitre (exactly) | |
| |≈ | US fluid ounce | ||
| |≈ | 0.960759940 | US fluid minim |
US customary minim
| 1 US minim | = | US fluid ounce | |
| |= | US teaspoon | ||
| |= | US fluidram | ||
| |= | 61.611519921875 | microliters (exactly) | |
| |≈ | imperial fluid ounce | ||
| |≈ | 1.040842731 | imperial minims |