microwear

M3I1C3R1O1W4E1A1R1
US/ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌwɛɹ/UK/ˈmaɪkɹəʊˌwɛə/

noun

Microscopic patterns of edge damage on stone tools, used to show how the tools were used.

OriginEnglish wear ← Middle English weren ← Old English werian →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounmicrowear (uncountable)
  1. uncountablearchaeologyMicroscopic patterns of edge damage on stone tools, used to show how the tools were used.

Origin

  1. Englishmicro-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*wes-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*woséyeti
  4. Proto-Germanic*wazjaną
  5. Proto-West Germanic*waʀjan
  6. Old Englishwerian
  7. Middle Englishweren
  8. Englishwear
  9. Englishmicrowear

From micro- + wear.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

microwear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/microwear

MLA

“microwear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/microwear. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “microwear,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/microwear.

Source: microwear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.