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Definition of minimax in English:

minimax

noun

Mathematics

  • The lowest of a set of maximum values.

    Compare with maximin

    • ‘The methods include the study of stable and unstable manifolds, bifurcations, index and degree, and construction of orbits as minima and minimaxes of action functionals.’

Pronunciation

minimax

/ˈminēˌmaks/ /ˈmɪniˌmæks/

adjective

Mathematics

  • 1(in game theory) denoting a strategy that minimizes the greatest risk to a participant.

    1. 1.1Denoting the theory that in a game with two players, a player's smallest possible maximum loss is equal to the same player's greatest possible minimum gain.

Pronunciation

minimax

/ˈminēˌmaks/ /ˈmɪniˌmæks/

Origin

Early 20th century (in rare sense ‘point in topological space at which function defined on the space is stationary’): blend of minimum and maximum.