Micropore

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tiny or microscopic hole or opening in a surface or material
2. An extremely small passage or gap that can be seen only with magnification
3. A minute aperture that allows passage of substances at a microscopic scale

Etymology: "Micropore" is a plain compound built from two parts. The first, "micro-", comes from the Ancient Greek "mīkrós", meaning "small," which entered English as a combining form and is now used freely to mean "very small" or "on a tiny scale." The second part, "pore," is an older English word for a minute opening, typically in skin or in a surface. Put together, the pieces describe exactly what the word denotes: a very small pore or opening. The word is a transparent technical coinage rather than a term with a dramatic backstory, and its meaning is essentially the sum of its parts.

Synonyms: tiny pore, minute pore, small pore