microfilm

[mahy-kruh-film] /ˈmaɪ krəˌfɪlm/
noun
1.
a film bearing a miniature photographic copy of printed or other graphic matter, usually of a document, newspaper or book pages, etc., made for a library, archive, or the like.
2.
a film, especially of motion-picture stock, on which microcopies are made.
verb (used with object)
3.
to make a microfilm of.
Origin
1930-35; micro- + film
Related forms
microfilmer, noun
Examples from the web for microfilm
  • Most large libraries have copies, usually on microfilm, of newspapers from their regions.
  • Except that his was a mechanical implementation that used microfilm.
  • He wanted a way to index the microfilm so you could jump from one microfiche to another, and do cross-referencing and such.
  • And the bulk of the public record is no longer to be found in library stacks, dusty courthouse files, and microfilm rolls.
  • There are groups who store a lot of stuff on microfilm.
  • Main page for information about collections of various newspapers in print and on microfilm.
  • Then bring this information to a facility that has the census microfilm.
British Dictionary definitions for microfilm

microfilm

/ˈmaɪkrəʊˌfɪlm/
noun
1.
a strip of film of standard width on which books, newspapers, documents, etc, can be recorded in miniaturized form
verb
2.
to photograph (a page, document, etc) on microfilm
See also microfiche
Word Origin and History for microfilm
n.

1927, coined from micro- + film (n.). The verb is first recorded 1940, from the noun. Related: Microfilmed; microfilming.

microfilm in Culture

microfilm definition


A film on which miniature copies of documents are reproduced. Microfilm allows for very compact storage of books and documents.