mince

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To cut or chop into very small pieces.
2. v. To subdivide (land, for example) into minute parts.
3. v. To pronounce in an affected way, as with studied elegance and refinement.
4. v. To moderate or restrain (words) for the sake of politeness and decorum; euphemize: Don't mince words: say what you mean.
5. v. To walk with very short steps or with exaggerated primness.
6. v. To speak in an affected way.
7. n. Finely chopped food, especially mincemeat.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make less; make small; specifically, to cut or chop into very small pieces: as, to mince meat.
2. To lessen; diminish; especially, to diminish in speaking; speak of lightly or slightingly; minimize.
3. To utter primly: bring or show forth sparingly or in a half-spoken way; hence, to display with affected delicacy; use affectation in regard to: as, to mince one's words or a narrative; to mince the lapses of one's neighbors; a minced oath.
4. To effect mincingly.
5. To walk with short steps or with affected nicety; affect delicacy in manner.
6. To speak with affected elegance.
7. n. Same as mince-meat.

Wiktionary

1. n. uncountable Finely chopped meat.
2. n. uncountable Finely chopped mixed fruit used in Christmas pies; mincemeat.
3. n. countable An affected (often dainty or short and precise) gait.
4. n. countable An affected manner, especially of speaking; an affectation.
5. v. transitive To make less; make small.
6. v. transitive To lessen; diminish; to diminish in speaking; speak of lightly or slightingly; minimise.
7. v. transitive, rare To effect mincingly.
8. v. transitive, cooking To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine.
9. v. transitive To suppress or weaken the force of; to extenuate; to palliate; to tell by degrees, instead of directly and frankly; to clip, as words or expressions; to utter half and keep back half of.
10. v. transitive To affect; to pronounce affectedly or with an accent.
11. v. intransitive To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner.
12. v. intransitive To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.
13. v. archaic To diminish the force of.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine; to hash.
2. v. To suppress or weaken the force of; to extenuate; to palliate; to tell by degrees, instead of directly and frankly; to clip, as words or expressions; to utter half and keep back half of.
3. v. rare To affect; to make a parade of.
4. v. To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner.
5. v. To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.
6. n. A short, precise step; an affected manner.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. food chopped into small bits
2. v. make less severe or harsh
3. v. walk daintily
4. v. cut into small pieces