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.
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.
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
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.