ENGLISH
REFERENCE

miniature

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈmɪniəˌtʃʊɹ// UK //mˈɪnɪtʃɐ// minia·ture

n. a very small copy or model of something. You often see these in museums or as toys that look exactly like real objects but fit in your hand.

n. a representation or model of something that is much smaller than its actual size. Often refers to a small-scale replica or a very small painting, especially a portrait.


SIMPLE

He collects miniatures of vintage cars.

CONTEXTUAL

The museum features a detailed miniature of the city as it appeared in the eighteenth century.

COMPLEX

The artist specialized in miniatures, using a single-hair brush to capture the intricate lace patterns on the subject's collar within a frame no larger than a coin.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Italian miniatura (“manuscript illumination”), from miniare (“to illuminate”), from Latin miniō (“to colour red”), from minium (“red lead”).

Usage

Often used as a modifier before another noun (e.g., 'miniature painting'), though it functions as a noun when referring to the object itself.

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