subminiature

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adjective

Compact or smaller than miniature.

UncommonScrabble 16

Meanings

adjectivesubminiature (not comparable)
  1. not comparableCompact or smaller than miniature.

    Vacuum tubes and other circuit components have been produced in miniature and subminiature versions.

    1952 March, Leonard Engel, “Little Gadget with a Large Future”, in Harper's Magazine, volume 204, number 1222, page 57
  2. not comparableartsof photography equipment and techniques using a smaller frame than 35mm

    Other Minolta cameras from $27 to $270, including subminiature, "snapshot," 35mm rangefinder and single lens reflex models...

    1964 November, “Minolta Hi-matic 7”, in Sunset, page 136
nounsubminiature (plural subminiatures)

plural subminiatures

  1. Any item smaller than that considered miniature, especially electronic and electromechanical devices

    One of these Raytheon Subminiatures takes the place of two old style tubes and its small size results in lower microphonics.

    1948 April, “Sounds Good to Her: Raytheon CK510AX”, in Electronics, volume 21, number 4, page 143
  2. A subminiature camera, generally with a frame smaller than 35mm

    The popularity of today’s wide-angle lenses and the subminiatures with their inherently great depth of field testify to the success of this technique.

    1958 September, “10 ways to dramatize the ordinary”, in Popular Photography, volume 3, number 45, page 60

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Englishsub-
  6. LatinMinius
  7. Latinminium
  8. Italianminio
  9. Italianminiare
  10. Italianminiatura
  11. Englishminiature
  12. Englishsubminiature

From sub- + miniature.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

subminiature. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subminiature

MLA

“subminiature.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subminiature. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subminiature,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subminiature.

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