minch

From Middle English mynche, a reduced form of minchen, monchen, from Old English myneċen (“a female monk, nun”), from Proto-Germanic *munikinnō (“female monk”), from *munikaz (“monk”), from Late Latin monachus (“monk”), from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós, “hermit”, noun), from μοναχός (monakhós, “single, solitary”, adjective), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”), from Proto-Indo-European *men-, *menw-, *manw- (“small, little, isolated”). Cognate with German Mönchin (“female monk”). Related also to minnow. More at monk.

minch (plural minches)

1. (obsolete) A nun.

• mynchery

• minchen
• monk

From Middle English menchen, a variant of mincen. More at mince.

minch (third-person singular simple present minches, present participle minching, simple past and past participle minched)

1. (dialectal) Alternative form of mince.

minch (third-person singular simple present minches, present participle minching, simple past and past participle minched)

1. Alternative form of mitch (“play truant from school”).
   • 1961, Daphne du Maurier, Castle Dor:

     William Henry opened the gates for them along the return journey, and at the lodge accepted shamefacedly a penny and a promise of the bad end little boys came to who minched from school.