homunculus

See also: Homunculus

English

Alternative forms

• homonculus

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin homunculus, diminutive of homō (“man”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /hɒˈmʌŋk.jʊ.ləs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /həˈmʌŋk.jə.ləs/, /hoʊˈmʌŋk.jə.ləs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

homunculus (plural homunculi)

1. A miniature man, once imagined by spermists to be present in human sperm.
2. 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

• cortical homunculus
• homunculus argument

Related terms

• homo
• homunculine

Translations

little man

• Catalan: homuncle m
• Dutch: ventje (nl) n
• French: homoncule (fr) m
• German: Homunkulus (de) m
• Italian: omuncolo (it) m
• Japanese: ホムンクルス (homunkurusu)
• Latin: homunculus (la) n
• Portuguese: homúnculo (pt) m
• Russian: гому́нкул (ru) m (gomúnkul), гому́нкулус (ru) m (gomúnkulus)
• Spanish: homúnculo (es) m

See also

• manikin

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

• omuncolo

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin homunculus (“little man”). Compare the adapted borrowing omuncolo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈmun.ku.lus/
• Rhymes: -unkulus
• Hyphenation: ho‧mùn‧cu‧lus

Noun

homunculus m (invariable)

2. (alchemy, folklore) homunculus (a legendary figure resembling a little man, who was said to be created through alchemy)
4. (historical, biology) homunculus (the little man believed by preformationists to be inside human sperm)
6. (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

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /hoˈmun.ku.lus/, [hɔˈmʊŋkʊɫ̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /oˈmun.ku.lus/, [oˈmuŋkulus]

Noun

homunculus m (genitive homunculī); second declension

1. diminutive of homō (“man”).
2. a little or weak man, homunculus
3. (rare) a dwarf

   Synonyms: nānus, pūmiliō

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	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)

1. homunculus

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	homunculus	homunculusul		homunculuși	homunculușii
genitive-dative	homunculus	homunculusului		homunculuși	homunculușilor
vocative	homunculusule			homunculușilor