The meaning of minimal for a k-dimensional submanifold M of an n-dimensional space is that a sufficiently small piece of M has the least volume compared with other k-dimensional submanifolds M' where M and M' have the same (k - 1)-dimensional boundary.
Ang kahulugan ng napakaliit para sa isang k-dimensional submanifold M ng isang n-dimensional space ay sapat na ang isang maliit na piraso ng M ay ang hindi bababa sa dami kumpara sa iba pang k-dimensional submanifolds M 'na kung saan M at M' ay may parehong (k - 1)-dimensional hangganan.