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miniature

Pronunciation: /ˈmɪnɪtʃə/

Translate miniature | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of miniature

adjective

  • very small of its kind:children dressed as miniature adults

noun

  • a thing that is much smaller than normal, especially a small replica or model: seven full-size car bodies and three miniatures were used
  • a very small bottle of spirits: he drank miniatures of brandy on the flight
  • a plant or animal that is a smaller version of an existing variety or breed: miniatures for your rock garden
  • a very small and highly detailed portrait or other painting: an exhibition of one hundred pastels and miniatures
  • a picture or decorated letter in an illuminated manuscript: a catalogue devoted to cut-out miniatures from despoiled manuscripts

verb

[with object] literary
  • represent on a smaller scale: she saw her own reflection miniatured

Phrases

in miniature

on a small scale:a place that is Greece in miniature

Origin:

late 16th century: from Italian miniatura, via medieval Latin from Latin miniare 'rubricate, illuminate', from minium 'red lead, vermilion' (used to mark particular words in manuscripts)

Spelling help

Remember that miniature is spelled with an a after the second i.

miniature in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of miniature in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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