micro

¹ American  

[mahy-kroh] / ˈmaɪ kroʊ /

adjective

1. extremely small.

2. minute in scope or capability.

3. of or relating to microcomputers.

4. of or relating to microeconomics.

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noun

plural

micros

1. anything extremely small in scope or capability.

2. a microcomputer.

3. microeconomics.

micro- ² American  

especially before a vowel, micr-.

1. a combining form with the meanings “small” (microcosm; microgamete ), “very small in comparison with others of its kind” (microcassette; microlith ), “too small to be seen by the unaided eye” (microfossil; microorganism ), “dealing with extremely minute organisms, organic structures, or quantities of a substance” (microdissection; microscope ), “localized, restricted in scope or area” (microburst; microhabitat ), “(of a discipline) focusing on a restricted area” (microeconomics ), “containing or dealing with texts that require enlargement to be read” (microfilm; microreader ), “one millionth” (microgram ).

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micro ¹ British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊ /

adjective

1. very small

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noun

1. short for microcomputer microlepidoptera microprocessor microwave oven

micro- ² British  

combining form

1. small or minute

   microspore

2. involving the use of a microscope

   micrography

3. indicating a method or instrument for dealing with small quantities

   micrometer

4. (in pathology) indicating abnormal smallness or underdevelopment Compare macro-

   microcephaly

   microcyte

5.  μ.  denoting 10 ^–6

   microsecond

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micro– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means: “small” (as in microorganism) or “one millionth” (as in microsecond).

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Usage

What does micro- mean? Micro- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “small.” In units of measurement, micro- means "one millionth." The form micro- is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms.Micro- comes from Greek mīkrós, meaning “small.” The Latin equivalent of mīkrós is parvus, also meaning “small,” which is the source of terms such as parvovirus, a type of virus with a name that literally means “small poison.” To learn more, check out our entry for parvovirus.What are variants of micro-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, micro- becomes micr-, as in micrify, which comes from the Latin equivalent of the form. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about micr-.

Etymology

Origin of micro¹

Independent use of micro-, or shortening of words with this initial element

Origin of micro-²

< Greek: combining form representing mīkrós small

Example Sentences

The two treks covered roughly the same ground but branched off to different micro zones within an area of the grove that was more or less burned flat.

From Los Angeles Times

“At the micro level, Iran represents a meaningful exporter of polyethylene and methanol, and potential export constraints or project delays could materially tighten global supply/demand balances over the next several years,” he says.

From Barron's

Full-time creators and so-called micro influencers are often part of a brand army assembled through platforms like ShopMy, LTK and mostly recently a new startup called Devotion.

From The Wall Street Journal

I only wish the book had been a little more micro than it is.

From The Wall Street Journal

After organizing the samples by species and caste, the specimens were transported to KIT for high throughput micro CT imaging.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• compact
• mini
• pocket
• pocket-size
• portable
• scaled-down
• small