micromanage
Meaningto handle in small detail
Common meaning: to control every small detail of others' work
- microlittle, smallLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 513 (approximate) · scan
- manthe handLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1111 · scan
- agenoun ending: an act, state or collection
‘little, small’ + ‘the hand’ → micromanage
Journey through time
Hybrid: Greek + Latin Its parts come from different languages; our sources do not record where they were first put together.
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- micro — Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós) “little, small” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- man — Latin manus, -ūs “the hand” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós) ‘little, small’ + Latin manus ‘the hand’.
Did you know (Microgravity, microinject, micromanage,…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry μικρός (mikrós), p. 513 · dictionary scan
Did you know (Latin manus, the…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry manus, p. 1111 · dictionary scan
Roots
- manus, -ūs Latin “the hand”
- μικρός (mikrós) Ancient Greek “little, small”
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