Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “miniature” come from?

Miniature comes from Italian miniare, from Latin minio, from Latin minium, originally denoting red lead used in manuscript illumination.

miniature (English): Greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale; A...

Definitions

  1. Greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale; A...

Ancestry of “miniature”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianminiaturaminiature; thumbnail
2Italianminiareto illuminate; to miniate
3Latinminiare—
4Latinminiumnative cinnabar; red lead, minium
5Latin-umnominative neuter singular of -us; accusative...
6Proto-Italic*-om—
7Proto-Indo-European*-oHom—

Words derived from “miniature”

  • mini
  • minivan
  • minibus
  • miniaturization
  • miniseries
  • miniskirt
  • minibar
  • miniaturist
  • minicomputer
  • miniscrew
  • minilesson
  • miniaturisation
  • minidress
  • minisatellite
  • minicab
  • miniaturize
  • minibody
  • minifridge
  • minigun
  • minigolf
  • minichromosome
  • MiniDisc
  • minimart
  • minimill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *-oHom →