Macro

Macro

Adjective / Noun / Prefix · /ˈmæk.rəʊ/

Definition

(Adjective / Prefix) large-scale; relating to or involving large units or overall structure rather than individual details; (Noun) in computing, a single instruction that expands automatically into a set of instructions; in photography, a macro lens or macro mode for extreme close-up photography.

Origin

From Greek makros (long, large). The prefix macro- is opposed to micro- (from Greek mikros, small). Macro as a standalone word in computing developed in the mid-20th century; in photography in the late 20th century. The macroeconomics sense developed in the 1930s when economists began distinguishing aggregate from individual economic analysis.