low profile
5
3.8
- adjective
- /loʊ ˈproʊfaɪl/
- Specialized
:
de bajo perfil
- The low profile ceiling light does not obstruct our view of the room.
- low profile design
- low profile load
- low profile load cell
Examples
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The pedestal requires a very small break in the skin and has a low profile.
Academic text (1998) -
So, we're looking at a low-profile event.
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If you really want to have a super low profile base, then obviously using as little glue as possible is your end goal.
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It's not as low profile as the Mac keyboard, and it sounds really good.
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"I wanted the engine to be low-profile," he said.
Academic text (2003) -
Like not having any tables or obstructions and having a really low profile work surface.
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Like I said this is Razor's new flagship keyboard, but with a new low profile design.
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Now these are sleek, pretty low profile minus the B and very portable.
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To compensate, designers of polar research instruments make their systems as low-profile as possible.
Academic text (1994) -
A very sleek, low-profile helmet is set down; four tiny lenses are visible near the temples.
Fiction book (1997)
How Thick
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('having a small or unobtrusive profile') follows directly from combining 'low' (small/not high) with 'profile' (level of prominence or outline/height): it denotes a reduced or unobtrusive profile. This is a regular adjective+noun composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the intended design/product sense.
Etymology
Low profile comes from the idea of something having a small height, so its side view or profile is low and it fits into tight spaces. That's why a low profile product means 'short and does not stand out, made to fit where space is limited'.