Other forms: minions
A minion is a lowly follower who does what they are told. The boss's minions, a mere minion, send a minion.
It is always contemptuous now, and it carries an implication that the person has no will of their own. It began as a compliment: the French mignon meant a darling or a royal favourite, and the fall from favourite to flunkey took about a century.
1nounminionA lowly follower who does what they are told.
“The villain sent his minions to do the dirty work while he stayed safe at home.”
minion is a follower.
French mignon meant a darling or royal favourite. The sense fell from favourite to servile follower.
Proto-Indo-European
*men- — to think
Proto-Germanic
*minjō — affectionate thought, care
Frankish
*minnju — love, friendship, affection, memory
Old French
mignon — dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind
Middle French
mignon — lover, royal favourite, darling
English, today
minion
First use appears c. 1490, from Middle French mignon (“lover, royal favourite, darling”), from Old French mignon (“dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind”), from Frankish minnju (“love, friendship, affection, memory”), from Proto-Germanic minjō (“affectionate thought, care”), from Proto-Indo-European men- (“to think”). a doublet of mignon.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA