Online Etymology Dictionary

mic (n.): shortened form of microphone, first attested 1961.
mica (n.): 1706, from specialized use of Latin mica "crumb, bit, morsel, grain," originally *smika (form probably influenced by Latin micare "to flash, glitter"), from PIE *smik- "small" (source also of Greek smikros, Attic mikros "small;" Old High German smahi "littleness"). Related: Micaceous "containing mica."
micacious (adj.): "sparkling," 1836, from Late Latin micare "to shine, sparkle, flash, glitter."
Micah: masc. proper name, sixth of the Old Testament prophets, from Hebrew Mikhah, short for Mikhayah, literally "who is like the Lord?" First element identical to that in Michael, for second element, see Jah.
Micawber (n.): as a type of a childishly impractical man living in optimistic fantasy, from the character of Wilkins Micawber in Dickens' "David Copperfield" (1850).
"I am at present, my dear Copperfield, engaged in the sale of corn upon commission. It is not an avocation of a remunerative description -- in other words it does not pay -- and some temporary embarrassments of a pecuniary nature have been the consequence. I am however delighted to add that I have now an immediate prospect of something turning up ...."
mice (n.): plural of mouse (n.); Old English mys, shows effects of i-mutation.
A cube of cheese no larger than a die
May bait the trap to catch a nibbling mie.
[Bierce]
Michael: masc. proper name, name of an archangel, from Late Latin Michael (source of French Michel, Spanish Miguel), from Greek Mikhael, from Hebrew Mikha-el, literally "Who is like God?"
Michaelmas: early 12c., Sanct Micheles mæsse, the feast of St. Michael (Sept. 29, an English quarter-day), from Michael + mass (n.2). Goose is the day's traditional fare since at least 15c.
Michelin: type of tires, 1902, from French motor vehicle manufacturers André (1853-1931) and Édouard (1859-1940) Michelin, who first made the tires.
Michigan: name originally applied to the lake, perhaps from Old Ojibwa (Algonquian) *meshi-gami "big lake." The spelling is French. Organized as a U.S. territory 1805, admitted as a state 1837. A resident might be a Michigander (1848) or a Michiganian (1813).
mick (n.): derogatory slang for "Irishman," 1856, from nickname of common Irish name Michael (q.v.).
mickey (n.): short for Mickey Finn, 1938.
Mickey Finn: "strong drink, drink laced with chloral hydrate," by 1928 (perhaps 1890s), of unknown origin. Presumably named after someone, but the various stories about the name cannot be substantiated.
Mickey Mouse: cartoon mouse character created 1928 by U.S. animator Walt Disney (1901-1966). As an adjective meaning "small and worthless" it dates from 1936, originally used especially of mediocre dance-band music, a put-down based on the type of tunes played as background in cartoon films.
mickle (adj.): dialectal survival of Old English micel, mycel "great, intense, big, long, much, many," from Proto-Germanic *mekilaz (source also of Old Saxon mikil, Old Norse mikill, Old High German mihhil, Gothic mikils), from PIE root *meg- "great, large" (source also of Armenian mets "great;" Sanskrit mahat- "great, mazah- "greatness;" Avestan mazant- "great;" Hittite mekkish "great, large;" Greek megas "great, large;" Latin magnus "great, large, much, abundant," major "greater," maximus "greatest;" Middle Irish mag, maignech "great, large;" M.Welsh meith "long, great"). Its main modern form is much (q.v.). Related: Mickleness.
Micmac: Algonquian tribe of the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland, by 1776, from mi:kemaw, a native name said to mean literally "allies."
micro-: word-forming element meaning "small, microscopic; magnifying; one millionth," from Latinized comb. form of Greek mikros "small, little, petty, trivial, slight" (see mica).
micro-organism (n.): also microorganism, 1855, from micro- + organism.
microbe (n.): popular name for a bacterium, 1878, from French microbe, "badly coined ... by Sédillot" [Weekley] in 1878 from Greek mikros "small" (see mica) + bios "life" (see bio-). It is an incorrect use of bios; in Greek the word would mean literally "short-lived."
microbial (adj.): 1879, from Modern Latin microbion (see microbe) + -al (1).
microbiologist (n.): 1882, from microbiology + -ist.
microbiology (n.): 1880, coined in English from micro- + biology. Related: Microbiological.
microcephalic (adj.): "small-headed," 1845, from French microcéphalique, from Modern Latin microcephalus, from Greek mikros "small" (see mica) + kephale "head" (see cephalo-). Related: Microcephalism; microcephalous (1840); microcephaly (n.).
microchip (n.): "integrated circuit," 1975, from micro- + chip (n.1).
microcircuit (n.): 1959, from micro- + circuit (n.). Related: Microcircuitry.
microclimate (n.): 1918, from micro- + climate. Related: Microclimatology.
microcomputer (n.): 1971, from micro- + computer.
microcosm (n.): c. 1200, mycrocossmos (modern form from early 15c.), "human nature, man viewed as the epitome of creation," literally "miniature world," from Middle French microcosme and in earliest use directly from Medieval Latin microcosmus, from Greek mikros "small" (see mica) + kosmos "world" (see cosmos). General sense of "a community constituting a world unto itself" is attested from 1560s. Related: Microcosmic. A native expression in the same sense was petty world (c. 1600).
microeconomics (n.): 1948, from micro- + economics. Related: Microeconomic.
microelectronics (n.): 1960, from micro- + electronics.
microfiche (n.): 1950, from French microfiche, from micro- + French fiche "slip of paper" (see fiche).
microfilm (n.): 1927, coined from micro- + film (n.). The verb is first recorded 1940, from the noun. Related: Microfilmed; microfilming.
micrography (n.): 1650s, "description of microscopic objects," from micro- + -graphy. From 1899 as "art of writing in very small letters."
microinstruction (n.): 1959, from micro- + instruction.
micrology (n.): "hair splitting, exaggerated attention to petty things," 1650s, from Greek mikrologia "pettiness, care for trifles," from micros (see micro-) + -logia (see -logy).
micromanage (v.): by 1978, from micro- + manage (v.). Related: Micromanagement; micromanaged; micromanaging.
micromania (n.): 1879, "a form of mania in which the patient thinks himself, or some part of himself, to be reduced in size," from Greek mikros "small" (see mica) + mania. Also used in reference to insane self-belittling.
micrometer (n.): 1660s, from micro- + -meter. Originally a telescope attachment; from 1884 as a craftsman's fine measuring tool. Related: Micrometry; micrometric.
micron (n.): "one millionth of a meter," 1892, coined 1880 in French from Greek mikron, neuter of mikros "small" (see mica).
Micronesia: 1840, from Italian, literally "the region of small islands," Modern Latin, formed on model of Polynesia from micro- "small" (see micro-) + Greek nesos "island" (see Chersonese). Related: Micronesian.
microphone (n.): 1680s, "ear trumpet for the hard-of-hearing," coined from Greek mikros "small" (see mica) + phone "sound," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say" (see fame (n.)). Modern meaning dates from 1929, from use in radio broadcasting and movie recording. Earlier, "amplifying telephone transmitter" (1878). Of the two spellings of the short form of the word, mike (1927) is older than mic (1961).
microprocessor (n.): 1970, from micro- + processor.
microscope (n.): 1650s, from Modern Latin microscopium, literally "an instrument for viewing what is small," from Greek micro- (see micro-) + -skopion, from skopein "to look, see" (see -scope).
microscopic (adj.): 1732, "like a microscope;" see microscope + -ic. Meaning "of minute size" is from 1760s. Related: Microscopical; microscopically.
microscopy (n.): 1660s, from microscope + -y (4).
microsecond (n.): 1906, from micro- + second (n.).
Microsoft: computer software company, founded 1975.
microspore (n.): 1856, from micro- + spore.
microsurgery (n.): 1927, from micro- + surgery.
microtia (n.): "abnormal smallness of the ear," 1881, Medical Latin, from micro- + Greek ous (genitive otos) "ear" (see ear (n.)) + abstract noun ending -ia.