# miniature

Pronunciation: US say "MIN-ee-uh-chuur" /ˈmɪn(i)ət͡ʃʊəɹ/; UK say "MIN-i-chuh" /ˈmɪnɪt͡ʃə/

## Adjective

1. Of a smaller size than is normal for things of its kind.
   - Simple: Smaller than the usual size of something of its kind.
   - _Breeders have developed miniature versions of several popular dog breeds._
   - _Surgeons guided a miniature camera through the artery to find the blockage._

## Noun

2. A small version of something, such as a model made to a reduced scale.
   - Simple: A small copy of something bigger, such as a tiny model.
   - _A detailed miniature of the cathedral sits in a glass case by the entrance._
   - _In many ways the village fair was a miniature of the town's whole social life._
3. A size, form, or scale that is greatly reduced from the usual.
   - Simple: A much smaller size or form than usual.
   - _The exhibit recreates the entire harbor in miniature, down to the fishing nets._
   - _Each rock pool is an ocean in miniature, with its own hunters and prey._
4. A small, highly detailed painting, often a portrait of a single person.
   - Simple: A very small painting with lots of fine detail, often of a person.
   - _The miniature showed the young officer in his dress uniform, every button picked out in gold._
   - _Collectors pay high prices for eighteenth-century miniatures still in their original frames._
5. A small figure or token used in a board game or role-playing game to represent a unit or character.
   - Simple: A small playing piece that stands for a soldier or character in a game.
   - _She painted her wizard miniature in blue and silver before game night._
   - _The tabletop battle used more than two hundred miniatures, each one a different soldier._
6. An illustration that decorates a page of an illuminated manuscript.
   - Simple: A picture painted inside a handwritten book that is decorated by hand.
   - _Scholars dated the manuscript by studying the style of its miniatures._
   - _A gold-leaf miniature of a harvest scene fills the margin of the opening page._
7. The art of painting small, highly detailed pictures, such as tiny portraits.
   - Simple: The art of painting very small pictures with lots of fine detail.
   - _The academy offers a two-year course in Mughal miniature, taught in the traditional way._
   - _She gave up oils and devoted the rest of her career to miniature._
8. A musical composition of short duration.
   - Simple: A short piece of music.
   - _The concert opened with a miniature for solo flute that lasted barely two minutes._
   - _Critics singled out her cycle of twelve orchestral miniatures as the highlight of the festival._
10. A game of chess that is over after only a very small number of moves.
   - Simple: A game of chess that ends after only a few moves.
   - _Her third-round win was a sparkling miniature, finished before most players had left the opening._
   - _The coach shows beginners classic miniatures to warn them against grabbing pawns too early._
11. A particular feature or trait of someone or something, such as one of the features of a face.
   - Simple: One detail or quality of someone or something, like a part of a face.

## Verb

9. To make something smaller than normal, or to reproduce it on a reduced scale.
   - Simple: To make something smaller than normal, or to make a much smaller copy of it.
   - _Model makers who miniature historic ships must scale down every rope and plank._
   - _The painting miniatures the whole valley in a frame no bigger than a postcard._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Red lettering, or the practice of setting off parts of a text by writing them in red.

## Origin

Borrowed from Italian miniatura ("manuscript illumination"), from miniare ("to illuminate"), from Latin miniō ("to color red"), which comes from minium ("red lead").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/miniature (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).