miniature

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmɪnɪtʃə/ (UK); /ˈmɪn(i)ətʃɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian miniatura (“illumination of manuscripts, small picture”),^[2][3][4][5] from the past participle of miniare “to illuminate a manuscript”,^[4][5][2] from Latin miniō (“to colour red”),^[2][3][4][5] from Latin minium (“red lead”),^[2][3][4][5] which was used in antiquity to make red ink.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A reduced image; anything represented on a small scale (before 1586).^[6][4][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Its link with smallness comes from the small pictures in medieval manuscripts,^[4][5] helped by the chance resemblance to those Latin words for “small”.^[4][5][7] In English it was used for the illuminating of manuscripts (1645) and for an illumination (1680), but above all for a small, finely detailed portrait, often on ivory or vellum (1716).^[6] The adjective “on a small scale” dates from 1714.^[5][3][4] It was applied to dog breeds from 1889 and to miniature golf from 1893,^[5] and miniaturize was coined in 1946.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1586 – a representation on a small scale.^[6][4][3]
• 1645 – the illuminating of manuscripts (obsolete).^[6]
• 1680 – a picture in an illuminated manuscript.^[6]
• 1714 – adjective, on a small scale.^[5][3][4]
• 1716 – a small, finely painted portrait.^[6]
• 1946 – miniaturize.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A copy or model on a much reduced scale.
2. Something small of its kind.
3. A small, finely detailed painting, especially a portrait on ivory or vellum.
4. A picture or decorated letter in an illuminated manuscript.
5. The art of painting miniatures.

Adjective

1. On a small or greatly reduced scale.

Word family

• miniaturist
• miniaturize

Related words

• minium
• miniate

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House