Microfiches

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small sheet of film used to store and display documents in miniature form
2. an archival medium that allows for the preservation of printed materials at a reduced size
3. a storage solution that provides easy access to large volumes of information in a compact format

Etymology: "Microfiches" is the third-person singular present form of the verb "microfiche," which is itself the noun for a sheet of film bearing greatly reduced page images. The noun was borrowed from French "microfiche," built from the combining element "micro-," meaning small, and "fiche," meaning a card or slip of paper. The French word thus describes a small card, and the English term keeps that sense intact. The plural "microfiches" is what you would use for several such sheets, and the verb form in this entry is simply the same spelling reused for the act of reproducing material on them. The French roots mean the English word literally names a little card, a description that still fits the flat film sheets archives once used to store entire books and newspapers in a fraction of their original space.

Synonyms: film, microfilm, documents