ho·mun·cu·lus (h -m ng ky -ls, h-)n. pl. ho·mun·cu·li (-l   ) 1. A diminutive human. 2. A miniature, fully formed individual which adherents of the early biological theory of preformation believed to be present in the sperm cell. |
homunculus
[hōmung′kyələs] pl. homunculi
Etymology: L, little man
1 a dwarf in whom all the body parts are proportionally developed and in which there is no deformity or abnormality.
2 (in early embryologic theories of development, primarily preformation) a minute and complete human being contained in each of the germ cells that after fertilization grows from the microscopic to normal size.
3 a small anatomic model of the human form; a manikin, specifically, one believed to have been produced by an alchemist and placed into a flask.
4 (in psychiatry) a little man created by the imagination who possesses magical powers.
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