Etymology

miniature

M3I1N1I1A1T1U1R1E1

Today it means: Greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale. Full definition →

Italian miniatura ← Latin minium
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The story

  1. LatinMinius
  2. Latinminium
  3. Italianminio
  4. Italianminiare
  5. Italianminiatura
  6. English todayminiature

Borrowed from Italian miniatura (“manuscript illumination”), from miniare (“to illuminate”), from Latin miniō (“to colour red”), from minium (“red lead, minium”). Not related to minimum, minor or min (which are all from a different root, *mi-n-), though the sense development may have been influenced by association with them or sound symbolism.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.