micro

¹

[mahy-kroh]

adjective

1. extremely small.

2. minute in scope or capability.

3. of or relating to microcomputers.

4. of or relating to microeconomics.

noun

plural

micros 

1. anything extremely small in scope or capability.

2. a microcomputer.

3. microeconomics.

micro-

²

especially before a vowel, micr-.

1. a combining form with the meanings “small” (microcosm; microgamete ), “very small in comparison with others of its kind” (microcassette; microlith ), “too small to be seen by the unaided eye” (microfossil; microorganism ), “dealing with extremely minute organisms, organic structures, or quantities of a substance” (microdissection; microscope ), “localized, restricted in scope or area” (microburst; microhabitat ), “(of a discipline) focusing on a restricted area” (microeconomics ), “containing or dealing with texts that require enlargement to be read” (microfilm; microreader ), “one millionth” (microgram ).

micro-

¹

combining form

1. small or minute

   microspore

2. involving the use of a microscope

   micrography

3. indicating a method or instrument for dealing with small quantities

   micrometer

4. (in pathology) indicating abnormal smallness or underdevelopment Compare macro-

   microcephaly

   microcyte

5. μ. denoting 10 ^–6

   microsecond

micro

²

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊ /

adjective

1. very small

noun

1. short for microcomputer microlepidoptera microprocessor microwave oven

micro–

1. A prefix that means: “small” (as in microorganism) or “one millionth” (as in microsecond).

Word History and Origins

Origin of micro–¹

Independent use of micro-, or shortening of words with this initial element

Origin of micro–²

< Greek: combining form representing mīkrós small

Word History and Origins

Origin of micro–¹

from Greek mikros small

Example Sentences

"We're talking artificial intelligence, but chatbots are really stupid," says David Sancho, Senior Threat Researcher at Trend Micro.

From BBC

Olsen: This season, we’ve seen Milchick suffer a lot of micro- and some not-so-micro-aggressions, many of them based around race.

From Los Angeles Times

As for the other big promises I mentioned, SmartLA 2028 lays out dozens of laudable but perhaps overly ambitious goals — “Los Angeles residents will experience an improved quality of life by leveraging technology to meet urban challenges. No longer the ‘car capital of the world’, residents will choose how they wish to get around LA, using a single, digital payment platform, with choices like renovated Metro rail and bus systems or micro transit choices, such as on-demand LANow shuttles or dockless bicycles.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Santa Clara, Calif., company has been losing money and has seen its stock plunge while it falls behind rivals such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.

From Los Angeles Times

ALX allegedly declared to Super Micro Computer, a supplier of Nvidia chips, that the devices were ordered for a Singapore-based customer.

From BBC

Related Words

• compact 
• mini 
• pocket 
• pocket-size 
• portable 
• scaled-down www.thesaurus.com
• small 

When To Use

What does micro- mean?

Micro- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “small.” In units of measurement, micro- means "one millionth." The form micro- is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms.Micro- comes from Greek mīkrós, meaning “small.” The Latin equivalent of mīkrós is parvus, also meaning “small,” which is the source of terms such as parvovirus, a type of virus with a name that literally means “small poison.” To learn more, check out our entry for parvovirus.What are variants of micro-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, micro- becomes micr-, as in micrify, which comes from the Latin equivalent of the form. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about micr-.