miniature
miniature Lexical Profile
miniature Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Representing something on a very small scale; much smaller than the usual size.
"She cultivated a beautiful garden of miniature roses on her apartment balcony."
• noun
A model or replica of something on a very small scale.
"The museum display featured a highly detailed miniature of the city as it looked in the eighteenth century."
A very small, highly detailed painting or portrait, especially one executed in an illuminated manuscript.
"During the Renaissance, wealthy patrons often carried portraits of their loved ones painted as delicate miniatures."
• Rhymes for miniature
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Italian 'miniatura' (manuscript illumination), derived from Latin 'miniare' (to color with red lead), from 'minium' (red lead). Because medieval manuscript illuminations were typically very small, the word eventually became associated with small size rather than its original red color.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.