By Eugenia Manolidou
There are certain words that I call door-openers. One of the most common ones is the word “micro” – in Greek µικρόν (pron.“micrón” meaning small). «Μικρόν» is indeed one of these words that open the door to a world of concepts, innovations, and discoveries. Despite its size, it plays a colossal role in the fields of science, technology, and everyday language.
A really ancient word, “micro” is something that is small in size but significant in impact. Let’s see some of these micro-words:
Microbiology, the study of microbes (from micro + bios – which is the Greek word for “life”), explores the world of tiny organisms or living things. Microchips changed technology, because they allowed for the creation of smaller, more efficient and powerful devices, from computers to smartphones. Micromanage is a type of management with a lot of attention to minor or small details.
But micro also exists in our daily language!
A microphone makes tiny sounds bigger, louder, so our voices or music reach farther. A microcosm shows us a small version of the cosmos and a microwave uses tiny waves to cook our food quickly. All of these are examples of how something small can do big things.
And of course a microscope (from micro + scope – which is the Greek word σκοπέω –ῶ – “examine, inspect, look to or into, consider”) allows us to see and discover very, very small things.
From the microscopic building blocks, to the compact devices that define our modern existence, “micro” is a door-opener to a vast sphere of knowledge and innovation.