ornamental trimming made by leaving long fringes of thread and knotting the threads together in a geometrical pattern, 1865, from French macramé (19c.), said to be from Turkish maqrama "towel, napkin," from Arabic miqramah "embroidered veil." The thing is older in Europe than the word.

also macro-biotic, 1797, "tending to prolong life," 1797, from Greek makrobiotikos "long-lived," from makros "long" (from PIE root *mak- "long, thin") + bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live"). The specific reference to a Zen Buddhist dietary system dates from 1936. Hence macrobiote "a long-lived person or animal" (1852); macrobiosis "long life, longevity" (1837); macrobiotics "the study of longevity" (by 1832); "theory of macrobiotic diets" (by 1948).

"of or pertaining to a large head (of a person)," 1851, from Greek makrokephalos, from makros "large, long" (from PIE root *mak- "long, thin") + kephalē "head" (see cephalo-). Related: Macrocephalous "having a long head" (1810); macrocephaly.

c. 1600, "the great world" (the universe, as distinct from the "little world" of man and human societies), from French macrocosme (c. 1300) and directly from Medieval Latin macrocosmus, from Greek makros "large, long" (from PIE root *mak- "long, thin") + kosmos "world," also "order, harmonious arrangement" (see cosmos). Compare microcosm. The concept, if not the word, generally is traced to Democritus (5c. B.C.E.). Related: Macrocosmic.

also macro-economic, "pertaining to the economy as a whole," 1938, from macro- + economic.

also macro-economics, "the science or study of the economy as a whole," by 1946, from macroeconomic; also see -ics.

also macro-instruction, in computing, "a group of programming instructions compressed into a simpler form and appearing as a single instruction," 1959, from macro- + instruction.

1886, "molecule consisting of several molecules," a sense now obsolete, from macro- + molecule. Apparently coined in "On Macro-molecules, with the Determinations of the Form of Some of Them," by Anglo-Irish physicist G. Johnstone Stoney (1826–1911). Originally of crystals. Meaning "molecule composed of many atoms" is by 1935, from German makromolekul (1922). Related: Macromolecular (by 1931).

"short horizontal line placed over a vowel to indicate length," 1827, from Latinized form of Greek makron, neuter of makros "long" (from PIE root *mak- "long, thin").