micro

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Origin:
independent use of micro-, or shortening of words with this initial element

Dictionary.com Unabridged

a combining form with the meanings “small” ( microcosm; microgamete ), “very small in comparison with others of its kind” ( microcassette; microlith ), “too small to be seen by the unaided eye” ( microfossil; microorganism ), “dealing with extremely minute organisms, organic structures, or quantities of a substance” ( microdissection; microscope ), “localized, restricted in scope or area” ( microburst; microhabitat ), “(of a discipline) focusing on a restricted area” ( microeconomics ), “containing or dealing with texts that require enlargement to be read” ( microfilm; microreader ), “one millionth” ( microgram ).

Also, especially before a vowel, micr-.

Origin:
< Greek: combining form representing mīkrós small

Can be confused: macro-, micro-.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To micro

Collins

World English Dictionary

micro (ˈmaɪkrəʊ)

—*adj*
1.	very small

—n , -cros
2.	microcomputer microlepidoptera microprocessor short for microwave oven

micro- or micr-

—*combining form*
1.	small or minute: microspore
2.	involving the use of a microscope: micrography
3.	indicating a method or instrument for dealing with small quantities: micrometer
4.	Compare macro- (in pathology) indicating abnormal smallness or underdevelopment: microcephaly; microcyte
5.	μ denoting 10^--6: microsecond

[from Greek mikros small]

micr- or micr-

—*combining form*

[from Greek mikros small]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

micro-

comb. form of Gk. mikros "small" (see mica).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

micro- or micr-
pref.

Small: microblast.
Abnormally small: microcephaly.
Requiring or involving microscopy: microsurgery.
Symbol μ One-millionth (10-⁶): microliter.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

micro-
A prefix that means: "small" (as in microorganism) or "one millionth" (as in microsecond).

Slang Dictionary

micro-

pref.
1. Very small; this is the root of its use as a quantifier prefix.
2. A quantifier prefix, calling for multiplication by 10^(-6) (see quantifiers). Neither of these uses is peculiar to hackers, but hackers tend to fling them both around rather more freely than is countenanced in standard English. It is recorded, for example, that one CS professor used to characterize the standard length of his lectures as a microcentury -- that is, about 52.6 minutes (see also attoparsec, nanoacre, and especially microfortnight).
3. Personal or human-scale -- that is, capable of being maintained or comprehended or manipulated by one human being. This sense is generalized from `microcomputer', and is esp. used in contrast with `macro-' (the corresponding Greek prefix meaning `large').
4. Local as opposed to global (or macro-). Thus a hacker might say that buying a smaller car to reduce pollution only solves a microproblem; the macroproblem of getting to work might be better solved by using mass transit, moving to within walking distance, or (best of all) telecommuting.

Jargon
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FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary