homunculus

• Ein sehr kleiner Mensch oder ein künstlich erschaffenes menschliches Wesen; auch eine früher angenommene vollständig ausgebildete Miniaturgestalt im Spermium.

A noun referring to a very small human being, often used in historical or scientific contexts to describe a miniature person or a tiny, fully formed individual once theorized to exist in a sperm cell.

unregelmäßiger Plural

1. Very small personC1formal

   A human being of extremely small stature, but without any other physical deformities or abnormalities.

   Homunkulus

   • The circus featured a homunculus who was no taller than a child.
   • In the story, a homunculus lived in a tiny house built just for him.
   • The term homunculus is sometimes used to describe a very small but otherwise normal person.

   Synonymedwarflilliputianmanikinmidget

   Antonymegiant

2. Preformation theory entityC2formal

   A tiny, fully formed human believed, according to the now-discredited theory of preformation, to exist inside a sperm cell.

   Homunkulus

   • The preformation theory suggested that a homunculus was contained within the sperm.
   • Scientists later disproved the existence of the homunculus in reproductive biology.
   • The concept of the homunculus was a key part of early embryological thought.