homunculus

[ huh-muhng-kyuh-luhs, hoh- ]

noun

, plural ho·mun·cu·li [h, uh, -, muhng, -ky, uh, -lahy, hoh-].

1. an artificially made dwarf, supposedly produced in a flask by an alchemist.
2. a fully formed, miniature human body believed, according to some medical theories of the 16th and 17th centuries, to be contained in the spermatozoon.
3. a diminutive human being.
4. the human fetus.

homunculus

/ hɒˈmʌŋkjʊləs /

noun

1. a miniature man; midget
2. (in early biological theory) a fully-formed miniature human being existing in a spermatozoon or egg

Derived Forms

• hoˈmuncular, adjective

Other Words From

• ho·muncu·lar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of homunculus¹

1650–60; < Latin, equivalent to homun- (variant of homin-, stem of homō man; Homo ) + -culus -cule ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of homunculus¹

C17: from Latin, diminutive of homo man

Example Sentences

In my first neuroscience course at Columbia University, I learned about the homunculus.

From Scientific American

As Buzsáki points out, this entails something like a “homunculus,” a separate experiencer sitting in a mental theater and taking in what the brain “shows” it.

From Scientific American

This poorly understood and speculative entity goes by various names—free will, homunculus, decision maker, executive function, intervening variables or simply just a “black box.”

From Scientific American

In an article published in Brain in 1937 that first described the work that led to the development and refinement of the homunculus.

From Scientific American

Such experiments led to the famous homunculus: a map of which brain regions represent various body parts.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• gnome
• goblin
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• troll