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homunculus

[ huh-muhng-kyuh-luhs, hoh- ]
/ həˈmʌŋ kyə ləs, hoʊ- /
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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.

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Origin of homunculus

1650–60; <Latin, equivalent to homun- (variant of homin-, stem of homō man; see Homo) + -culus-cule1

OTHER WORDS FROM homunculus

ho·mun·cu·lar, adjective

Words nearby homunculus

homozygosity, homozygote, homozygous, homozygous by descent, Homs, homunculus, homy, Homyel', hon, Honan, honcho
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to homunculus

gnome, pygmy, midget, bantam, runt, manikin, midge, punk, peewee, shrimp, little person

Example sentences from the Web for homunculus

British Dictionary definitions for homunculus

homunculus
/ (hɒˈmʌŋkjʊləs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

a miniature man; midget
(in early biological theory) a fully-formed miniature human being existing in a spermatozoon or egg
Former name: homuncule (həʊˈmʌŋkjuːl)

Derived forms of homunculus

homuncular, adjective

Word Origin for homunculus

C17: from Latin, diminutive of homo man
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

Medical definitions for homunculus

homunculus
[ hō-mŭng′kyə-ləs, hə- ]

n. pl. ho•mun•cu•li (-lī′)

A diminutive human.
A miniature, fully formed individual which adherents of the early biological theory of preformation believed to be present in the sperm cell.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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