menudo
Lemma Details
Translation: small; tiny; minor; slight; frequent; numerous
Part of Speech: adjective
Etymology: Derived from Latin 'minutus' meaning 'small' or 'diminished', which is the past participle of 'minuere' (to diminish). This same Latin root gave English words like 'minute' (both the time unit and the adjective meaning very small), 'diminish', and 'minuscule'. The semantic connection between smallness and frequency (another meaning of 'menudo') comes from the idea that small things often appear in greater numbers.
Commonality: 80%
Guessability: 40%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'minute' (tiny) to remember 'menudo' means small.
- For the frequency meaning, imagine 'many' small things happening often: 'men-u-do' = 'many you do'.
- For the noun meaning (tripe soup), think of it as made of many small pieces of tripe.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Cultural Context
As a noun, 'menudo' refers to a traditional Mexican soup made with tripe (cow stomach) in a red chili pepper base. It's often considered a hangover remedy and is traditionally served at special occasions. In some Latin American countries, the expression '¡Menudo lío!' is commonly used to express that something is a big mess or problem, ironically using a word that means 'small' to describe something significant.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'menudo' means 'small' or 'frequent', 'minuto' means 'minute' (the unit of time). They share a Latin root but have different meanings in modern Spanish.
Confused word:
Espera un minuto, por favor.
Wait a minute, please.
Notes: Both words come from Latin 'minutus', but evolved to have different meanings.
Mnemonic: 'Menudo' has an 'e' like 'pequeño' (small), while 'minuto' has an 'i' like 'time'.
Explanation: 'Menudo' means 'small' or 'frequent', while 'mundo' means 'world'. They look and sound similar but have completely different meanings.
This word:
Es un menudo problema.
It's a small problem.
Notes: The similarity is coincidental; they have different etymological origins.
Mnemonic: 'Mundo' contains 'mund' which sounds like 'mound' - a world is like a big mound, the opposite of something 'menudo' (small).