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micro |
6 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Micro- \Mi"cro-\, Micr- \Mi"cr-\ . [Gr. mikro`s small.] A combining form signifying: a Small little, trivial, slight; as microcosm, microscope. b (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.) A millionth part of as microfarad, microohm, micrometer. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: micro adj : extremely small in scale or scope or capability From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]: Micro, NC (town, FIPS 42620) Location: 35.56264 N, 78.20416 W Population (1990): 417 (193 housing units) Area: 1.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: micro- pref. 1. Very small this is the root of its use as a quantifier prefix. 2. A quantifier prefix, calling for multiplication by 10^(-6) (see {{quantifiers}}). Neither of these uses is peculiar to hackers, but hackers tend to fling them both around rather more freely than is countenanced in standard English. It is recorded, for example, that one CS professor used to characterize the standard length of his lectures as a microcentury -- that is about 52.6 minutes (see also {attoparsec}, {nanoacre}, and especially {microfortnight}). 3. Personal or human-scale -- that is capable of being maintained or comprehended or manipulated by one human being This sense is generalized from `microcomputer', and is esp. used in contrast with `macro-' (the corresponding Greek prefix meaning `large'). 4. Local as opposed to global (or {macro-}). Thus a hacker might say that buying a smaller car to reduce pollution only solves a microproblem the macroproblem of getting to work might be better solved by using mass transit, moving to within walking distance, or (best of all) telecommuting. From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: micro {microprocessor} From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: micro- {prefix}
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