1. a very small human being
2. a miniature fully formed human that alchemists believed could be created artificially
Usage: historical; alchemy
3. a representation of a human with body parts sized according to their sensitivity or motor function
Usage: neuroscience; medical

Examples

• The medieval alchemist claimed he could create a homunculus in his laboratory.
• The neurological homunculus shows how much brain area is devoted to different body parts.
• In the fairy tale, a tiny homunculus emerged from the magic potion.
• The sensory homunculus illustrates why our lips and hands are so sensitive.
• Ancient texts described methods for growing a homunculus in a flask.
• The motor homunculus explains why we have such precise control over our fingers.