homunculus
Americannoun
-
homunculi
plural
-
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.
noun
-
a miniature man; midget
-
(in early biological theory) a fully-formed miniature human being existing in a spermatozoon or egg
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of homunculus
1650–60; < Latin, equivalent to homun- (variant of homin-, stem of homō man; see Homo) + -culus -cule 1
Explanation
A homunculus is a "little man." In the 17th century, theorists called preformationists argued that a human being begins life as a tiny, preformed person — a homunculus — encapsulated in the sperm or, as some thought, in the egg. The preformationists were arguing against Aristotle's view that humans and other organisms begin life as unformed material that gradually takes shape, and, in the case of humans, this process includes a moment of "ensoulment" — when the embryo gets a soul and becomes fully human. A homunculus can also be a "little man" of any sort. You can describe your Ken doll as a homunculus. The word is the diminutive of the Latin word homo "man."
Vocabulary lists containing homunculus
Quiz yourself on these words spoken by the man at the center of the "Laurel" / "Yanny" craze!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Blind Side
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A seemingly absurd pattern popped out in the imaging that showed three interconnected and previously undocumented areas right in the homunculus section of the motor cortex.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 21, 2023
Why would there be this separate fundamentally different profile of brain connections right in the middle of this section of motor cortex if there was only a single integral homunculus?
From Scientific American ● Apr. 21, 2023
As a student and later as a practitioner in the field, I had accepted the homunculus as unquestioned fact.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 21, 2023
Later three-dimensional representations of the homunculus depict it as a grotesque, hairless goblin with enormous lips, hands and feet.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 21, 2023
In return, Pierre reported on the manufacture of a homunculus in a glass vial.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The myth of artificial life, from homunculi and cyborgs to robots and androids, is the focus of an exhibition about the Golem at the Jewish Museum Berlin.
From US News ● Sep. 22, 2016
Now Saul Zaentz and his studio partners have a new target, albeit one less likely to elicit sympathy from fans of hairy-footed Shire-dwelling homunculi: low-budget flick Age of the Hobbits.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 8, 2012
We had been eager to interview Ms. Holmes about small men — the homunculi who infest her character’s house in the movie.
From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2011
Another Irishman, James Nesbitt, was tipped to play Bofur the dwarf, one of the 12 bearded homunculi who arrive at Baggins's hobbit hole with Gandalf in JRR Tolkien's classic fantasy tale.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 18, 2010
The change had to be made rapidly, because while the homunculi were exposed to the air they closed their eyes and seemed to grow weak and unconscious, as though they were about to die.
From The Magician by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
