What does miniature mean?
Definitions for miniature
ˈmɪn i ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər, ˈmɪn ə tʃərminia·ture
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word miniature.
Princeton's WordNet
miniature, illuminationnoun
painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts)
miniature, toyadjective
a copy that reproduces a person or thing in greatly reduced size
miniatureadjective
being on a very small scale
"a miniature camera"
Wiktionary
miniaturenoun
A small version of something; a model of reduced scale.
There was a miniature of a whaling ship in a glass bottle over the mantlepiece.
miniaturenoun
A small, highly detailed painting, a portrait miniature.
miniaturenoun
The art of painting such highly detailed miniature works.
miniaturenoun
An illustration in an illuminated manuscript.
miniaturenoun
A musical composition which is short in duration.
Sacha composed a miniature for strings as a final project at the conservatory.
miniaturenoun
A token in a game representing a unit or character.
Jack had dozens of miniatures of Napoleanic footsoldiers painted in detailed period regalia for his wargames.
miniatureadjective
Smaller than normal.
I find miniature dogs annoying; they seem to yap more than full-size dogs.
Etymology: From the miniatura (manuscript illumination), from miniare (to illuminate), from the miniāre (to colour red), from minium (red lead).
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Miniaturenoun
Etymology: miniature, French.
The water, with twenty bubbles, not content to have the picture of their face in large, would in each of these bubbles set forth the miniature of them. Philip Sidney, b. ii.
If the ladies should once take a liking to such a diminutive race, we should see mankind epitomized, and the whole species in miniature: in order to keep our posterity from dwindling, we have instituted a tall club. Joseph Addison, Guard.
The hidden ways
Of nature would’st thou know? how first she frames
All things in miniature? thy specular orb
Apply to well dissected kernels: lo!
Strange forms arise, in each a little plant
Unfolds its boughs: observe the slender threads
Of first beginning trees, their roots, their leaves,
In narrow seeds describ’d. Philips.Here shall the pencil bid its colours flow,
And make a miniature creation grow. John Gay.
Webster Dictionary
Miniature
originally, a painting in colors such as those in mediaeval manuscripts; in modern times, any very small painting, especially a portrait
Miniature
greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale
Miniature
lettering in red; rubric distinction
Miniature
a particular feature or trait
Miniatureadjective
being on a small; much reduced from the reality; as, a miniature copy
Miniatureverb
to represent or depict in a small compass, or on a small scale
Etymology: [It. miniatura, fr. L. miniare. See Miniate, v.,Minium.]
Freebase
Miniature
The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, red lead, is a picture in an ancient or medieval illuminated manuscript; the simple decoration of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment. The generally small scale of the medieval pictures has led secondly to an etymological confusion of the term with minuteness and to its application to small paintings especially portrait miniatures, which did however grow from the same tradition and at least initially use similar techniques. Apart from the Western and Byzantine traditions, there is another group of Asian traditions, which is generally more illustrative in nature, and from origins in manuscript book decoration also developed into single-sheet small paintings to be kept in albums, which are also called miniatures, as the Western equivalents in watercolor and other mediums are not. These include Persian miniatures, and their Mughal, Ottoman and other Indian offshoots.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Miniature
min′i-a-tūr, or min′i-tūr, n. a painting on a very small scale, on ivory, vellum, or thick paper: a small or reduced copy of anything.—adj. on a small scale: minute.—v.t. to represent on a small scale.—n. Min′iaturist, one who paints miniatures. [It. miniatura—miniare, to write with red lead—L. minium, vermilion.]
Etymology and Origins
Miniature
So called because this early species of hand-painted portraiture originated in the head of the Madonna or of a saint that formed the initial letter of the beautifully illuminated rubrics produced by the monks styled the “Miniatori,” because their paints were made out of minium, or red lead.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of miniature in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of miniature in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of miniature in a Sentence
No one and nothing outside of you can give you salvation, or free you from the misery. You have to light your own lamp. You have to know the miniature universe that you yourself are.
We would like to get funding to make this technology more portable using miniature mass spectrometers. We are also working on a quantitative method.
If you create miniature goals for yourself, you have something to look forward to when you exercise, so it's not just another boring workout, think of it as unlocking a new game level or superpower. Some simple examples are nailing a handstand, push-up or pull-up.
They show miniature flares across the surface of the Sun, which look like campfires that are millions of times smaller than the solar flares that we see from Earth, dotted across the surface, these small flares might play an important role in a mysterious phenomenon called coronal heating, whereby the Sun's outer layer, or corona, is more than 200 - 500 times hotter than the layers below.
Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig, then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for miniature
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
Get even more translations for miniature »
Translation
Find a translation for the miniature definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"miniature." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 27 Mar. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/miniature>.
Discuss these miniature definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In