Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Minute \Min"ute\, a.
   Of or pertaining to a minute or minutes; occurring at or
   marking successive minutes.

   {Minute bell}, a bell tolled at intervals of a minute, as to
      give notice of a death or a funeral.

   {Minute book}, a book in which written minutes are entered.
      

   {Minute glass}, a glass measuring a minute or minutes by the
      running of sand.

   {Minute gun}, a discharge of a cannon repeated every minute
      as a sign of distress or mourning.

   {Minute hand}, the long hand of a watch or clock, which makes
      the circuit of the dial in an hour, and marks the minutes.

Source : WordNet®

minute gun
     n : (military) gun that is discharged once every minute (usually
         as part of a military funeral)