de minimis
- noun
- /deɪ ˈmɪnɪmɪs/
- Formal
:
de minimis
- The court ruled that the incident was too insignificant to pursue under the de minimis exception.
- the de minimis principle
- de minimis effects
- de minimis aggregation
Examples
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The main flaw in this approach is mistaking the broader scheme doctrine and the aggregation, or de minimis, principle as one rule when the two are distinct doctrines.
Academic text (2004) -
The third possibility, that Lopez's characterization of Filburn's actions as economic was meant to limit the de minimis effects, or aggregation, principle to statutes that cover activity which is generally economic, is the most consistent with the goals and meaning of Lopez as well as the original holding in Wickard.
Academic text (2004) -
The Wickard line of cases, however, stands for the de minimis effects, or aggregation, principle, which is separate from the broader scheme doctrine and limits as applied challenges.
Academic text (2004) -
This is a clear restatement of the de minimis aggregation principle, the central holding in Wickard that allows Congress to reach individual activity not related to commerce if the class of activity, in the aggregate, is commercial.
Academic text (2004) -
As a result, the McCoy court failed even to outline rules for distinguishing between a "noncommercial class of activity" that can be carved out from a statute and a de minimis noncommercial instance of activity that cannot be.
Academic text (2004) -
The majority's treatment of the broader scheme doctrine is muddled but indicates that they understand it to mean that where Congress regulates an activity that is generally economic, it can reach de minimis noneconomic instances of activity within the broader activity.
Academic text (2004) -
Instead, the majority resolved this problem simply by stating that McCoy's actions were part of a distinct class of noneconomic activity while, in contrast, previous cases involved "idiosyncratic facts of an individual instance of de minimis character." (n133)
Academic text (2004) -
He quickly summarized his basis for the argument by saying: "the Supreme Court said in Lopez that 'where a general regulatory statute bears a substantial relation to commerce, the de minimis character of individual instances arising under that statute is of no consequence.'"
Academic text (2004) -
In some cases, minor infractions may be dismissed under the principle of de minimis and not lead to legal action.
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Due to the de minimis nature of the offense, the judge chose not to impose any penalties.
Synonyms
6
5.4
A small detail that does not matter
So small or unimportant that it does not matter
A small matter that people think is unimportant and easy to ignore
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
de + minimis
The phrase is compositionally built from Latin elements 'de' (of/about) + 'minimis' (very small/minimal), so the sense 'about minimal matters' and therefore 'too trivial to consider' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although it is a legal Latinism that many learners may not know, a B1 learner who knows the constituent forms or common Latin/Romance roots would be able to infer the meaning, so it is transparent.
Etymology
De minimis comes from the Latin saying de minimis non curat lex, which literally means 'the law does not care about small things'. As a legal noun, it names the rule that very small or unimportant matters are ignored by the courts.