atomy

[at-uh-mee]

noun, plural at·o·mies.

an atom; mote.
a small creature; pygmy.

Origin of atomy

1585–95; singular use of Latin atomī, plural of atomus atom

atomy

[at-uh-mee]

noun, plural at·o·mies.

a skeleton.

Origin of atomy

1590–1600; variant of anatomy (taken as an atomy)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for atomies

Historical Examples of atomies

Bring a good glass into the service, and you see a whole cloud of these atomies.
The Sea
Jules Michelet
The surgeons are atomies and pettifoggers, who kill more than they cure.
Character Writings of the 17th Century
Various

British Dictionary definitions for atomies

atomy

noun plural -mies archaic

an atom or minute particle
a minute creature

Word Origin for atomy

C16: from Latin atomī atoms, but used as if singular; see atom

atomy

noun plural -mies

an obsolete word for skeleton

Word Origin for atomy

C16: from mistaken division of anatomy (as if an atomy)

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

Word Origin and History for atomies

1590s, "atoms," also "diminutive beings," from atomy, from Latin atomi, plural of atomus (see atom), but taken as a singular in English and re-pluralized in the native way. Perhaps also in some cases a plural of atomy (from misdivision of anatomy).