homunculus
[ huh-muhng-kyuh-luh s, hoh- ]
/ həˈmʌŋ kyə ləs, hoʊ- /
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
OTHER WORDS FROM homunculus
ho·mun·cu·lar, adjectiveWords nearby homunculus
homozygosity, homozygote, homozygous, homozygous by descent, homs, homunculus, homy, homyel', hon, hon., hon. sec.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
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, adjectiveWord 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
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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.