microbrewery

The word is a modern English compound, formed in the late 20th century to describe a new kind of business in the beer industry. The first element, 'micro-', is borrowed from Greek, where mikros meant 'small', and entered scientific and technical English to denote minute scale. The second element, 'brewery', is a native English word derived from the Old English verb for making beer, combined with a suffix indicating a place. Thus, 'microbrewery' literally and logically means 'a small-scale place for brewing', directly contrasting with large, industrial breweries. Its formation follows a common English pattern of using classical prefixes to specify new, niche categories within established industries.

Structure: micro (small) + brewery (place for brewing) - micro: From Greek mikros (small). A combining form used in English to denote something very small in scale or scope. - brewery: From English brew (to make beer) + -ery (suffix denoting a place of business or activity). Brew is from Old English brēowan (to brew).