MEANING
A miniature humanlike being, especially one imagined as artificially created through alchemy.
Use it for
artificial life; small magical assistants; creators' responsibilitiesGive created life a human scale that can provoke tenderness or unease.
Words that belong together
- create a homunculus
- alchemical homunculus
- tiny homunculus
On the page
The homunculus demanded wages before agreeing to sweep the laboratory.
Two homunculi carried a thimble of water between them.
She could not decide whether the homunculus was her experiment or her child.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- homunculus
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Usage notes
Primary category: fantasy. Plural homunculi; also used in historical theories of development and brain mapping, which are distinct contexts. Noun: homunculus; plural homunculi.
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