To Mince

1. (transitive) To make less; make small.
2. (transitive) To lessen; diminish; to diminish in speaking; speak of lightly or slightingly; minimise.

Synonyms: diminish

3. (transitive, rare) To effect mincingly.
4. (transitive, cooking) To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine.
5. (archaic, transitive, figuratively) To suppress or weaken the force of

Synonyms: extenuate, palliate, weaken

6. To say or utter vaguely, not directly or frankly
7. (transitive) To affect; to pronounce affectedly or with an accent.
8. (intransitive) To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner.
9. (intransitive) To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.

Current usage in the sense of “say or utter vaguely” is mostly limited to the phrase “mince words”; e.g., “I won't mince words with you”.