See Also: miniature(2)(dictionary)
miniature(1)(dictionary)
miniature golf(dictionary)
miniature stomach(medicine)
swine, miniature(medicine)
miniature 2, noun(dictionary)
miniature painting(encyclopedia)
miniature 1, adjective(dictionary)
miniature end plate potential(medicine)
miniature scarlet fever(medicine)

miniature(1) (iou)



miniature noun & adjective. L16.
[Italian miniatura from medieval Latin, from miniare MINIATE: see -URE. Cf. MINI-.]
A. noun.
An image or representation on a small scale. Also occas., a minutely finished production. L16.
Dryden Tragedy is the miniature of human life.
b. A thing that is much smaller or briefer than usual; spec. (a) Chess a problem involving seven or fewer pieces; a game decided in a small number of moves; (b) a very small bottle of spirits; (c) a short piece of music. E20.
P. Cutting Ben and I crept up to my room to share a miniature of cherry brandy. J. Marquand A miniature of a man, as small as..the dwarfed trees.
The art or action, orig. that of a medieval illuminator, of painting portraits on a small scale and with minute finish, usu. on ivory or vellum; a portrait of this kind. M17.
Hugh Walpole Painters in Enamel and Miniature. N. Pevsner Miniatures painted minutely on parchment. A. Lurie He was tall and thin, with a short pointed beard like a man in an Elizabethan miniature.
The rubrication or illumination of a manuscript; a picture in an illuminated manuscript; (an) illuminated design. M17.
Phrases: in miniature on a small scale; in a brief or abridged form.
b. adjective. Represented, designed, etc., on a small scale; much smaller than normal; tiny. E18.
miniature camera, miniature poodle, miniature railway, etc. miniature golf a game in which a club is used to putt a small ball into a succession of holes on a green etc.
Scott Fitzgerald A miniature picture theatre with four rows of overstuffed chairs.
miniaturist noun an illuminator of manuscripts; a painter of miniatures: M19.