macrocosm

American  

[mak-ruh-koz-uhm] / ˈmæk rəˌkɒz əm /

noun

1. the great world or universe; the universe considered as a whole (opposed to microcosm).

2. the total or entire complex structure of something.

   the macrocosm of war.

3. a representation of a smaller unit or entity by a larger one, presumably of a similar structure.

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macrocosm British  

/ ˈmækrəˌkɒzəm /

noun

1. a complex structure, such as the universe or society, regarded as an entirety, as opposed to microcosms, which have a similar structure and are contained within it

2. any complex entity regarded as a complete system in itself

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macrocosm Cultural  

1. A representation of something on a much larger scale. (Compare microcosm.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• macrocosmically
  adverb
• macrocosmic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of macrocosm

1590–1600; < French macrocosme < Medieval Latin macrocosmus. See macro-, cosmos

Explanation

The macrocosm is everything that exists: it's another word for the universe or cosmos. If you know that micro means "small" and macro means "large," that can help you remember the meaning of this word: the macrocosm is the largest thing there is, since it's a word for everything in existence. Macrocosm is also used to talk about the big picture versus the little picture (the microcosm).

Example Sentences

Macrocosm, mak′ro-kozm, n. the great world: the whole universe:—opp. to Microcosm.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

From the cipher of the vast material universe, the Macrocosm, we turn away, as Faust did, with unsatisfied yearnings.

From The Faust-Legend and Goethe's 'Faust' by Cotterill, H. B. (Henry Bernard)

Evidently Simon taught the ancient, immemorial doctrine that the Microcosm Man was the Mirror and Potentiality of the Cosmos, the Macrocosm, as we have already seen above.

From Simon Magus by Mead, George Robert Stow

Adam Kadmon, containing all the Causates of the First Cause, is a Macrocosm, 760-m.

From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert

Equally in the history of science and of medicine, 1542 is a starred year, marked by a revolution in our knowledge alike of Macrocosm and Microcosm.

From The Evolution of Modern Medicine A Series of Lectures Delivered at Yale University on the Silliman Foundation in April, 1913 by Osler, William