Where does “miniskirt” come from?
Miniskirt combines English mini, from miniature, with English skirt, where miniature derives from Latin minium, a red lead pigment used in manuscript illumination.
miniskirt (English): A short skirt with its hemline well above the...
Definitions
- A short skirt with its hemline well above the...
Ancestry of “miniskirt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mini- | Smaller version of an item than usual; With the... |
| 2 | English | miniature | Greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale; A... |
| 3 | Italian | miniatura | miniature; thumbnail |
| 4 | Italian | miniare | to illuminate; to miniate |
| 5 | Latin | miniare | — |
| 6 | Latin | minium | native cinnabar; red lead, minium |
| 7 | Latin | -um | nominative neuter singular of -us; accusative... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-om | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *-oHom | — |