Where does “mini-” come from?
mini- (English) comes from English miniature, from Italian miniatura, from Italian miniare, from Latin miniare, from Latin minium, from Latin -um, from Proto-Italic *-om, from Proto-Indo-European *-oHom.
mini- (English): Smaller version of an item than usual; With the...
Definitions
- Smaller version of an item than usual; With the...
Ancestry of “mini-”, step by step
mini- traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English miniature
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | miniature | Greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale; A... |
| 2 | Italian | miniatura | miniature; thumbnail |
| 3 | Italian | miniare | to illuminate; to miniate |
| 4 | Latin | miniare | — |
| 5 | Latin | minium | native cinnabar; red lead, minium |
| 6 | Latin | -um | nominative neuter singular of -us; accusative... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-om | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *-oHom | — |
via Latin minimus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | minimus | least, smallest |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | *(s)mey(h₁)- | — |