homunculus
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word homunculus. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word homunculus, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say homunculus in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word homunculus you have here. The definition of the word homunculus will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofhomunculus, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Homunculus
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin homunculus, diminutive of homō (“man”).
Pronunciation
Noun
homunculus (plural homunculi)
- A miniature man, once imagined by spermists to be present in human sperm.
- The nerve map of the human body that exists on the parietal lobe of the human brain.
Quotations
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:homunculus.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
little man
See also
References
- “homunculus”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “homunculus”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “homunculus”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Italian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Latin homunculus (“little man”). Compare the adapted borrowing omuncolo.
Pronunciation
Noun
homunculus m (invariable)
- (alchemy, folklore) homunculus (a legendary figure resembling a little man, who was said to be created through alchemy)
- (historical, biology) homunculus (the little man believed by preformationists to be inside human sperm)
- (physiology, neuroscience) homunculus (nerve map realized as a distorted representation of the human body)
- homunculus corticale ― cortical homunculus
- homunculus motorio ― motor homunculus
Further reading
- (sense 1 and 2):
homunculus (alchimia) on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia it - (sense 3): homunculus corticale on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia it
- omuncolo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- homunculus in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
Latin
Etymology
From homō, hominis + -culus.
Pronunciation
Noun
homunculus m (genitive homunculī); second declension
- Diminutive of homō (“man”).
- a little or weak man, homunculus
- (rare) a dwarf
Declension
Second-declension noun.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | homunculus | homunculī |
| Genitive | homunculī | homunculōrum |
| Dative | homunculō | homunculīs |
| Accusative | homunculum | homunculōs |
| Ablative | homunculō | homunculīs |
| Vocative | homuncule | homunculī |
Descendants
- → Catalan: homuncle
- → English: homunculus
- → Spanish: homúnculo
- → French: homuncule
- → German: Homunkulus
- → Italian: homunculus
- → Japanese: ホムンクルス
- → Portuguese: homúnculo
- → Romanian: homunculus
- → Russian: гому́нкул (gomúnkul)
References
- “homunculus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “homunculus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- homunculus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin homunculus.
Noun
homunculus m (plural homunculuși)
Declension
Declension of homunculus
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) homunculus | homunculusul | (niște) homunculuși | homunculușii |
| genitive/dative | (unui) homunculus | homunculusului | (unor) homunculuși | homunculușilor |
| vocative | homunculusule | homunculușilor | ||