Micro
/ˈmaɪ.kroʊ/noun
A combining form or informal noun referring to something very small.
Did you know?Unlike many English words, micro comes directly from Greek mikros, meaning “small,” and became a scientific measuring prefix in the nineteenth century.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μῑκρός (mikrós)
“Small or little”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
μικρο- (mikro-)
“A combining form meaning small”
17th Century
Scientific Latin
micro-
“Used in learned compounds to denote smallness”
19th Century
International scientific usage
micro-
“A metric prefix meaning one-millionth”
20th Century
English
micro
“A very small object, device, amount, or thing; also an informal abbreviation for microphone”
Explore more surprising origins