midi-

Medium-sized; of medium length.

[English mid or middle.]

This form was created in the second half of the twentieth century to provide an intermediate between mini- and maxi-, mainly in connection with fashion, and occurs only in a few terms, such as midi-length, an item of clothing of medium leg length, such as a midi-skirt. A midi-system is a stacked music reproduction system of medium size; a midi-computer is a computer system smaller than a mainframe but larger than a microcomputer. The form also exists in another sense, usually capitalized, in which it is short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a widely used standard for interconnecting electronic musical instruments and computers.

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