different between subtle vs micro

English

Alternative forms

• subtil, subtile, suttle (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil, borrowed from Old French soutil, subtil, from Latin subt?lis (“fine, thin, slender, delicate”); probably, originally, “woven fine”, and from sub (“under”) + tela (“a web”), from texere (“to weave”). Displaced native Old English sm?ag.

Pronunciation

• enPR: s?t'(?)l, IPA^(key): /?s?t(?)l/, [?s????]
• Rhymes: -?t?l

Adjective

subtle (comparative subtler or more subtle, superlative subtlest or most subtle)

1. Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.

   Antonym: simple

   • 1712, Richard Blackmore, Creation: A Philosophical Poem. Demonstrating the Existence and Providence of a God. In Seven Books, book I, London: Printed for S. Buckley, at the Dolphin in Little-Britain; and J[acob] Tonson, at Shakespear's Head over-against Catherine-Street in the Strand, OCLC 731619916; 5th edition, Dublin: Printed by S. Powell, for G. Risk, G. Ewing, and W. Smith, in Dame's-street, 1727, OCLC 728300884, page 7:

     The mighty Magnet from the Center darts / This ?trong, tho' ?ubtile Force, thro' all the Parts: / Its active Rays ejaculated thence, / Irradiate all the wide Circumference.

2. (of a thing) Cleverly contrived.
3. (of a person or animal) Cunning, skillful.

   Synonyms: crafty, cunning, skillful

4. Insidious.

   Synonyms: deceptive, malicious

   • 1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third, Act IV, scene 4:

     Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle, bloody, treacherous.

5. Tenuous; rarefied; of low density or thin consistency.
6. (obsolete) Refined; exquisite.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• subtle in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• subtle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “subtle”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

Anagrams

• bluest, bluets, bustle, butles, sublet

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ?????? (mikrós, “small”), or shortened form for modern words formed from its derivative micro-.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?ma?.k?o?/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ma?.k???/

Adjective

micro (comparative more micro, superlative most micro)

1. Small, relatively small; used to contrast levels of the noun modified.

   At the micro level he was a good manager. At the macro level he failed.

Antonyms

• macro

Noun

micro (countable and uncountable, plural micros)

1. (colloquial) Clipping of microwave oven.

   Just put it in the micro for 30 seconds and it's ready to eat.

2. (colloquial, economics, uncountable) Clipping of microeconomics.
3. (computing, dated, countable) short form of microcomputer
   • 1984, Mike Gerrard, Bryan Skinner, Mr Chips comes home: micros and home education (page 23)

     If you can possibly afford to spend a few more pounds then you should move up into the next price bracket, where the potential of the home micro starts to be realised.

   • 1986, Rachael Smith, Bomb Jack (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 5, May 1986
4. (gaming, slang, uncountable) micromanagement

   • So what sort of hero is this bounding, bomb collecting midget? The answer is an arcade hero - and now he's let loose in your micro courtesy of conversion kings, Elite.

Derived terms

• (microcomputer): micromania

Verb

micro (third-person singular simple present micros or microes, present participle microing, simple past and past participle microed)

1. (gaming slang) to micromanage

Anagrams

• Romic, cormi, moric

French

Noun

micro m (plural micros)

1. mic (microphone)
2. micro (microcomputer)
3. (obsolete) microscope

Further reading

• “micro” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mik?o/, [?mi.k?o]

Etymology 1

Short for microbús.

Noun

micro m (plural micros)

1. (Chile, Argentina) public bus

   Synonyms: ómnibus, colectivo

2. (Mexico) minibus

   Synonyms: pesero, combi

Etymology 2

Short for microondas.

Noun

micro m (plural micros)

1. (Spain) microwave

Etymology 3

Short for micrófono.

Noun

micro m (plural micros)

1. (Spain) mic, microphone

Further reading

• “micro” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.