Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "homunculus" [‖Ho•mun•cu•lus]

  • A diminutive human. (noun)
  • A miniature, fully formed individual believed by adherents of the early biological theory of preformation to be present in the sperm cell. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "homunculus" in a sentence
  • "The homunculus is the mapping of the body into the motor cortex, which is a portion of the brain located approximately under the portion of the scalp that would be occupied by a Mohawk hairdo."
  • "York that the future bride of the famous homunculus is Miss Lavinia Warren, twenty-one inches high, and granddaughter of General Warren, who was killed at the battle of Bunker's Hill."
  • "As he watches, the outlines of a diminutive human being -- a mannikin or 'homunculus' -- become visible and rapidly gain distinct form."