Crossword clues for homunculus
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Homunculus \Ho*mun"cu*lus\, n.; pl. Homunculi. [L., dim. of
homo man.]
A little man; a dwarf; a manikin.
--Sterne.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1650s, from Latin homunculus, literally "little person," from homo (genitive hominis) "man, human being," the Latin word that means "man, person, a human being" (technically "male human," but in logical and scholastic writing "human being"), also "the human race, mankind," perhaps from PIE *(dh)ghomon-, literally "earthling," from *dhghem- "earth" (see chthonic; also compare human). With -culus, Latin diminutive suffix. Other Latin diminutives from homo included homullus, homuncio.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A little man. 2 The nerve map of the human body that exists on the parietal lobe of the human brain.
WordNet
Wikipedia
A homunculus ( Latin for "little man", plural: "homunculi"; from the masculine diminutive form of homo, "man") is a representation of a small human being. Popularized in sixteenth century alchemy and nineteenth century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has roots in preformationism as well as earlier folklore and alchemic traditions.
A homunculus is a representation of a human or small creature, used to illustrate the functioning of a system.
Homunculus may also refer to:
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the homunculus is a construct.
Homunculus is a comic science fiction novel by author James P. Blaylock. It was published in 1986. It was the second book in Blaylock's loose Steampunk trilogy, following The Digging Leviathan (1984) and preceding Lord Kelvin's Machine (1992). The book was originally published as an Ace paperback by the Berkeley Publishing Group and is included in the Adventures of Langon St. Ives collection.
Blaylock used the book London Labour and the London Poor by Henry Mayhew to research the period setting.
Usage examples of "homunculus".
Silence glanced over her shoulder for the spidery homunculus that monitored the hall to keep the apprentices at work.
She cursed the homunculus under her breath, but even that release felt half-hearted.
The pilot had just enough time to see that a spiral staircase led down toward the lower stacks before the homunculus darted ahead, and Silence had to hurry to catch up.
The homunculus scrambled up it, using both bony paws to help it climb.
It was not her fault that the homunculus had gotten ahead of her, but that would hardly matter.
She acted just in time: an instant later, the guide homunculus turned the corner ahead of her and stopped dead, regarding her with baleful yellow eyes.
The homunculus hesitated a moment longer, then beckoned impatiently with one clawed paw.
The homunculus moved more slowly this time, but still too fast for her to fix on any definite landmarks.
She turned its pages one by one, hardly seeing the words, until at last the homunculus scurried away.
The Librarian gave her a rather sour look from under his thin eyebrows, but Silence ignored him, opening her bag for the homunculus who guarded the tunnel door.
In the right-hand screen, Silence saw the baffle curtain move slowly back, drawn by a homunculus the size of a small monkey.
Then the homunculus was rolling back toward the Catalogue, and the pilot hastily smoothed her expression.
She reached for the first of the Catalogue volumes and the homunculus rolled away again, to return a moment later pushing a high, wheeled stool.
The homunculus, alerted by her movements, unfolded its arms and rolled forward, bowing.
She knelt, glancing quickly through the railing to be sure the homunculus had returned to its corner, and laid her hand gently against the spine of the book.