homunculus
[ huh-muhng-kyuh-luhs, hoh- ]
noun,plural ho·mun·cu·li [huh-muhng-kyuh-lahy, hoh-]. /həˈmʌŋ kyəˌlaɪ, hoʊ-/.
an artificially made dwarf, supposedly produced in a flask by an alchemist.
a fully formed, miniature human body believed, according to some medical theories of the 16th and 17th centuries, to be contained in the spermatozoon.
a diminutive human being.
the human fetus.
Origin of homunculus
1Other words from homunculus
- ho·mun·cu·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for homunculus
homunculus
/ (hɒˈmʌŋkjʊləs) /
nounplural -li (-ˌlaɪ)
a miniature man; midget
(in early biological theory) a fully-formed miniature human being existing in a spermatozoon or egg
Origin of homunculus
1C17: from Latin, diminutive of homo man
- Former name: homuncule (həʊˈmʌŋkjuːl)
Derived forms of homunculus
- homuncular, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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