"microbead" meaning in English

See microbead in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: microbeads [plural]
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.? Ancient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós) Ancient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor. English micro- English bead English microbead From micro- + bead. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|micro-<id:very small>|bead|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.? Ancient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós) Ancient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor. English micro- English bead English microbead [Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from", "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "small", "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "der.", "keyword_label" : "Derived from", "terms" : [ { "is_uncertain" : true, "id" : "small", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*mey-", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword" : "derived" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Ancient Greek", "term" : "μῑκρός", "gloss" : "small", "lang" : "grc" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "keyword" : "from" } ], "lang_name" : "Ancient Greek", "term" : "μῑκρο-", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "grc" } ], "keyword" : "lbor" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "micro-", "lang" : "en" }, { "children" : [ ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "bead", "status" : "missing", "lang" : "en" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "microbead", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="microbead"> From micro- + bead., {{ety|en|:af|micro-<id:very small>|bead|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.? Ancient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós) Ancient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor. English micro- English bead English microbead From micro- + bead. Head templates: {{en-noun}} microbead (plural microbeads)
  1. A microscopic bead of plastic used as an exfoliant in personal care products. Hypernyms: microplastic Related terms: nanobead Translations (microscopic bead): microbille [feminine] (French), Mikrokügelchen [neuter] (German), örperla [feminine] (Icelandic), マイクロビーズ (maikurobīzu) (Japanese), 마이크로비즈 (maikeurobijeu) (Korean)

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "*mey-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/mey-#Proto-Indo-European:_small"
    ],
    [
      "μῑκρός",
      "μικρός#Ancient_Greek:_small"
    ],
    [
      "μῑκρο-",
      "μικρο-#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "micro-",
      "micro-#English:_very_small"
    ],
    [
      "bead",
      "bead#English"
    ],
    [
      "micro-",
      "micro-#English:_very_small"
    ],
    [
      "bead",
      "bead#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "micro-<id:very small>",
        "4": "bead",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-der.?\nAncient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)\nAncient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor.\nEnglish micro-\nEnglish bead\nEnglish microbead\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"small\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"small\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*mey-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"μῑκρός\", \"gloss\" : \"small\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"μῑκρο-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"micro-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bead\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"microbead\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"microbead\">\nFrom micro- + bead.",
      "name": "ety"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "micro-<id:very small>",
        "4": "bead",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-der.?\nAncient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)\nAncient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor.\nEnglish micro-\nEnglish bead\nEnglish microbead\nFrom micro- + bead.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-der.?\nAncient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)\nAncient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor.\nEnglish micro-\nEnglish bead\nEnglish microbead\nFrom micro- + bead.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "microbeads",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "microbead (plural microbeads)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries referencing missing etymons",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology texts",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with micro- (very small)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Icelandic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Korean translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              35,
              45
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2021, Alice A. Horton, Isobelle Blissett, Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Freshwater Aquatic, Terrestrial and Avian Migratory Species in the Asia and Pacific Region, Convention on Migratory Species, page 30:",
          "text": "At the microplastic scale, bans of microbeads in wash-off personal care products are now widespread globally.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A microscopic bead of plastic used as an exfoliant in personal care products."
      ],
      "hypernyms": [
        {
          "word": "microplastic"
        }
      ],
      "id": "en-microbead-en-noun-UYl5fkJ-",
      "links": [
        [
          "microscopic",
          "microscopic"
        ],
        [
          "bead",
          "bead"
        ],
        [
          "plastic",
          "plastic"
        ],
        [
          "exfoliant",
          "exfoliant"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "nanobead"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "microscopic bead",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "microbille"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "microscopic bead",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Mikrokügelchen"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "lang_code": "is",
          "sense": "microscopic bead",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "örperla"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "maikurobīzu",
          "sense": "microscopic bead",
          "word": "マイクロビーズ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "lang_code": "ko",
          "roman": "maikeurobijeu",
          "sense": "microscopic bead",
          "word": "마이크로비즈"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "microbead"
}
{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "*mey-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/mey-#Proto-Indo-European:_small"
    ],
    [
      "μῑκρός",
      "μικρός#Ancient_Greek:_small"
    ],
    [
      "μῑκρο-",
      "μικρο-#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "micro-",
      "micro-#English:_very_small"
    ],
    [
      "bead",
      "bead#English"
    ],
    [
      "micro-",
      "micro-#English:_very_small"
    ],
    [
      "bead",
      "bead#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "micro-<id:very small>",
        "4": "bead",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-der.?\nAncient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)\nAncient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor.\nEnglish micro-\nEnglish bead\nEnglish microbead\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"small\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"small\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*mey-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"μῑκρός\", \"gloss\" : \"small\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"μῑκρο-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"micro-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bead\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"microbead\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"microbead\">\nFrom micro- + bead.",
      "name": "ety"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "micro-<id:very small>",
        "4": "bead",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-der.?\nAncient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)\nAncient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor.\nEnglish micro-\nEnglish bead\nEnglish microbead\nFrom micro- + bead.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-der.?\nAncient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)\nAncient Greek μῑκρο- (mīkro-)lbor.\nEnglish micro-\nEnglish bead\nEnglish microbead\nFrom micro- + bead.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "microbeads",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "microbead (plural microbeads)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "nanobead"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries referencing missing etymons",
        "English entries with etymology texts",
        "English entries with etymology trees",
        "English entries with etymon",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (small)",
        "English terms prefixed with micro- (very small)",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages using etymon with no ID",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Pages with etymology trees",
        "Pages with etymon",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Icelandic translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Korean translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              35,
              45
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2021, Alice A. Horton, Isobelle Blissett, Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Freshwater Aquatic, Terrestrial and Avian Migratory Species in the Asia and Pacific Region, Convention on Migratory Species, page 30:",
          "text": "At the microplastic scale, bans of microbeads in wash-off personal care products are now widespread globally.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A microscopic bead of plastic used as an exfoliant in personal care products."
      ],
      "hypernyms": [
        {
          "word": "microplastic"
        }
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "microscopic",
          "microscopic"
        ],
        [
          "bead",
          "bead"
        ],
        [
          "plastic",
          "plastic"
        ],
        [
          "exfoliant",
          "exfoliant"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "microscopic bead",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "microbille"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "microscopic bead",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Mikrokügelchen"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "lang_code": "is",
      "sense": "microscopic bead",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "örperla"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "maikurobīzu",
      "sense": "microscopic bead",
      "word": "マイクロビーズ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "roman": "maikeurobijeu",
      "sense": "microscopic bead",
      "word": "마이크로비즈"
    }
  ],
  "word": "microbead"
}

Download raw JSONL data for microbead meaning in English (4.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (c1bb342 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.