Homunculus
/həˈmʌŋ.kjə.ləs/noun
A tiny human being, especially an artificially created one in alchemical or literary contexts.
Did you know?In Renaissance alchemy, the homunculus became a legendary symbol of artificial life, blending occult speculation, anatomy, and the ancient fear of humans trying to play creator.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
homunculus
“a little man; dwarf; manikin”
Classical Latin
Latin
homo
“human being, person”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dhghem-
“earth, ground, soil”
16th Century
Latin
homunculus
“used in alchemical and philosophical writings for a tiny artificially generated human”
Modern English
English
homunculus
“an artificially created miniature human; also, a small or deformed human figure in literature or science”