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• mini
  mini

  noun

  miniskirt.
• mini-
  mini-

  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 American  

[min-ee] / ˈmɪn i /

noun

1. miniskirt.

2. a minicomputer.

3. anything of a small, reduced, or miniature size.

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adjective

1. of the length of a miniskirt.

mini- ² American  

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 ).

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mini ¹ British  

/ ˈmɪnɪ /

adjective

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

2. (prenominal) small; miniature

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noun

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

mini- ² British  

combining form

1. smaller or shorter than the standard size

   minibus

   miniskirt

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of mini¹

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

Origin of mini-²

By shortening of miniature, minimal, or minimum

Example Sentences

While 16 teams battle it out in best-of-five elimination series to advance, the top four in each conference play each other in separate mini- tournaments to decide seeding.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 29, 2020

By mini-, we mean one or two rhyming couplets per character — so four to eight lines total.

From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2020

An assortment of mini- bolsters the engrossing main story and the fully voiced cast delight.

From The Guardian • Jul. 6, 2013

JPMorgan also advised Gerdau on its $1.6 billion deal in August to complete the purchase of Tampa, Florida-based Gerdau Ameristeel Corp., the second-largest mini- mill steel producer in North America.

From BusinessWeek • May 5, 2011

They were stuck behind an interminable line of other taxis, limousines, cars and mini- busses that had been stacking for ten minutes.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn

Related Words

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