homunculus

• Sustantivo que designa a un hombre muy pequeño o diminuto, usado a menudo en contextos históricos o científicos para referirse a un ser humano en miniatura o a una criatura diminuta y completamente formada que, según una antigua teoría, se creía que existía dentro del espermatozoide.

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.

plural irregular

1. Very small personC1formal

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

   Persona muy pequeña

   • 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.

   Sinónimosdwarflilliputianmanikinmidget

   Antónimosgiant

2. Preformation theory entityC2formal

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

   homúnculo (teoría de la preformación)

   • 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.