2 entries found for miniature.
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Main Entry: 1min·ia·ture
Pronunciation: min---ch()r, min-i-ch()r, min-y-, -chr
Function: noun
Etymology: from Italian miniatura "a fancy big letter or small picture used to decorate a page of a book copied by hand," derived from Latin miniare "to color with red pigment"; so called because the first fancy letters on books were done in red to stand out from the black ink of the rest of the page 1: something much smaller than the usual size; especially: a copy on a much reduced scale 2: a very small portrait or painting (as on ivory) 3: the art of painting miniatures - min·ia·tur·ist /-chr-st, -chr-/ noun