a representation or image of something on a small or reduced scale.
a greatly reduced or abridged form or copy.
a very small painting, especially a portrait, on ivory, vellum, or the like.
the art of executing such a painting.
an illumination in an illuminated manuscript or book.
adjective
being, on, or represented on a small scale; reduced.
Idioms for miniature
in miniature, in a reduced size; on a small scale: The zoo exhibition offered a jungle in miniature.
Origin of miniature
1580–90; <Italian miniatura miniature painting <Medieval Latin miniātūra, equivalent to miniāt(us) (see miniate) + -ūra-ure; sense development perhaps influenced by Latin base min- (see mini-, minor)
They placed 26 individuals of six different species in cages overnight and inserted the equivalent of miniature rectal thermometers into their cloacas.
This hummingbird survives cold nights by nearly freezing itself solid|Jonathan Lambert|September 8, 2020|Science News
Each one is a miniature universe in which the roof is the sky and a vertical post, called “the seat of the sun,” aligns with the sun’s rays every day at noon.
An Ancient Site with Human Skulls on Display - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Jo Marchant|September 2, 2020|Nautilus
They’ll need miniature medical devices that fit on the spacecraft.
What will astronauts need to survive the dangerous journey to Mars?|Maria Temming|July 15, 2020|Science News
Instead, they use matrices with entries taken from miniature, or “modular,” number systems.
The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics|Kevin Hartnett|June 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Scientists have been working on miniature needles for years.
Micro-barbs could make shots less painful|Stephen Ornes|May 13, 2020|Science News For Students
She sends a miniature of her own image to the court, envious that it will enjoy a proximity she will never attain.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A representative assembly, John Adams wrote in 1776, “should be in miniature an exact portrait of the people at large.”
Is It Time to Take a Chance on Random Representatives?|Michael Schulson|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Underneath, a miniature version of the bug-crazy man is revealed, himself thwacking away in an alternate dimension.
‘Interstellar’ Is Wildly Ambitious, Very Flawed, and Absolutely Worth Seeing|Marlow Stern|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As I stood over the mud barracks, my translator zeroed in on a miniature mud tank complete with a detailed main gun and top hatch.
Creating Consequences for South Sudan’s Political Elite|Justine Fleischner|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For next to no money, the photographer Christine McConnell makes cakes and cookies that are their own miniature horror movies.
The Wonderful Weirdness of Christine McConnell, Queen of Creepy Cookies|Tim Teeman|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were other dark markings visible, and the satellite presented the appearance of a miniature of Mars.
Astronomical Curiosities|J. Ellard Gore
In the course of the miniature fight he learned considerable of the ways of fire.
The Rules of the Game|Stewart Edward White
The miniature was wrapped in a piece of thin paper, which he unfolded.
The Last Hope|Henry Seton Merriman
Every ship, every miniature fort, every man was caught under it—and annihilated.
Invaders from the Infinite|John Wood Campbell
It is a miniature Alhambra of courts within courts, and is really extraordinarily beautiful.
In the Land of Mosques & Minarets|Francis Miltoun
British Dictionary definitions for miniature
miniature
/ (ˈmɪnɪtʃə) /
noun
a model, copy, or similar representation on a very small scale
anything that is very small of its kind
a very small painting, esp a portrait, showing fine detail on ivory or vellum
a very small bottle of whisky or other spirits, which can hold 50 millilitres
an illuminated letter or other decoration in a manuscript
in miniatureon a small scalegames are real life in miniature
adjective
greatly reduced in size
on a small scale; minute
Word Origin for miniature
C16: from Italian, from Medieval Latin miniātūra, from miniāre to paint red, (in illuminating manuscripts); from minium