mini

¹

[ min-ee ]

noun

1. miniskirt.
2. a minicomputer.
3. anything of a small, reduced, or miniature size.

adjective

1. of the length of a miniskirt.

mini-

²

1. a combining form with the meanings “of a small or reduced size in comparison with others of its kind” ( minicalculator; minicar; minigun ); “limited in scope, intensity, or duration” ( miniboom; minicourse; minirecession ); (of clothing) “short, not reaching the knee” ( minidress; miniskirt ).

mini

¹

/ ˈmɪnɪ /

adjective

1. (of a woman's dress, skirt, etc) very short; thigh-length
2. prenominal small; miniature

noun

1. something very small of its kind, esp a small car or a miniskirt

mini-

²

combining_form

1. smaller or shorter than the standard size

   minibus

   miniskirt

Word History and Origins

Origin of mini¹

Independent use of mini-, or by shortening of words with mini- as initial element

Origin of mini²

By shortening of miniature, minimal, or minimum

Word History and Origins

Origin of mini¹

C20: from miniature and minimum

Example Sentences

In an experiment with 35 native English-speaking adults, researchers tracked the brain activity of participants learning a miniature language called Mini Pinyin that is based on Mandarin but with similar grammatical rules to English.

From Science Daily

Half of the participants learned Mini Pinyin in the morning and then returned in the evening to have their memory tested.

From Science Daily

The other half learned Mini Pinyin in the evening and then slept in the laboratory overnight while their brain activity was recorded.

From Science Daily

Although closed years ago, the “Crystal Cave” started as a mini diorama of a small village of animals and houses in the cafe’s doughnut case, Zena Carr said.

From Los Angeles Times

She has a Mini currently, but says if she did want to get a bigger car, she wouldn’t want to be penalised for that by having to pay more for parking.

From BBC

Related Words

• cramped
• limited
• meager
• microscopic
• miniature
• minuscule
• modest
• narrow
• paltry
• poor
• short
• slight
• small-scale
• young

Words That Use mini-

What does mini- mean?

Mini– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “small,” “limited,” or “short.” It is often used in a variety of everyday and technical terms, especially in fashion.

Mini– comes from a shortening of the terms miniature, minimal, or minimum, all expressing small size or a low limit. Minimum comes from Latin minimus, meaning “smallest” or “least.” Related to this root is Latin minor, meaning “smaller,” which was borrowed into English as minor, meaning “lesser in size.” Find out more at our entry for each word.

Examples of mini-

An example of a word you may have encountered that features mini– is miniskirt, “a very short skirt, ending several inches above the knee.”

While mini– means “short,” the –skirt part of the word refers to a skirt. Miniskirt literally means “very short skirt.”

What are some words that use the combining form mini-?

• minibar
• minibus
• minicab
• minidress
• minikin (using the equivalent form of mini– in Middle Dutch)
• minilab
• mininuke

What are some other forms that mini– may be commonly confused with?

• midi-
• milli-
• mis-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters mini-, such as minion or mining, is necessarily using the combining form mini– to denote “small.” Learn why minion means “a servile follower” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

Given the meaning of mini-, what is a minibus?