Why is it called a 'minigun' if it's actually much larger than an average gun?

Quora wants it spelled out, so: It’s called a minigun because it is smaller than its predecessors, the GAU and Vulcan.

……………….

This is a GAU-8, a seven barrel, 30mm, rotary autocannon.

This is an M61 Vulcan, a six-barrel, 20mm, rotary autocannon.

And here’s a minigun, otherwise known as an M134. It has six barrels and fires the 7.62 NATO (7.62x51mm) round. Isn’t it just the cutest thing? ;-)

Under development is the ‘micro-gun’ a 5.56 NATO (5.56x45mm) ‘mini mini-gun.’

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