microfilm

American  

[mahy-kruh-film] / ˈmaɪ krəˌfɪlm /

noun

1. a film bearing a miniature photographic copy of printed or other graphic matter, usually of a document, newspaper or book pages, etc., made for a library, archive, or the like.

2. a film, especially of motion-picture stock, on which microcopies are made.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a microfilm of.

microfilm British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌfɪlm /

noun

1. a strip of film of standard width on which books, newspapers, documents, etc, can be recorded in miniaturized form

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verb

1. to photograph (a page, document, etc) on microfilm

microfilm Cultural  

1. A film on which miniature copies of documents are reproduced. Microfilm allows for very compact storage of books and documents.

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Other Word Forms

• microfilmer noun

Etymology

Origin of microfilm

First recorded in 1930–35; micro- + film

Example Sentences

But then he pulled out a coin, a Finnish five-mark coin, popped it open with a pin, and dumped out a tiny piece of microfilm.

From Literature

Mexico's national archives had counted the document among a collection of papers signed by Cortés - but found 15 pages were missing when it was put on microfilm in 1993.

From BBC

Traditional paint on canvas was often sidelined in favor of modern industrial materials such as poured resin, ground glass, lacquers and microfilm coatings.

From New York Times

On one occasion, she received a microfilm that showed German forces lining up along the Soviet border for what looked like an imminent attack.

From BBC

For this attempt, special care had to be made in order to ensure each page was readable before shipping them off to be put onto microfilm.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• image
• likeness
• photo
• picture
• portrait
• print
• snapshot