microcosm
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
microcosm
- /ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/ UK
- /ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌkɑz.əm/ US
Where it comes from
From French microcosme, from Latin microcosmus, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”) + κόσμος (kósmos, “universe, order”), equivalent to micro- + -cosm.
noun microcosms
- Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature. The Christian humanists were emphatic in their demand that a man who wishes to understand himself must realize that he is a little world that reflects on a smaller scale the larger world of the universe. […] On the other hand, the whole idea of man as a microcosm was questioned by those who were not
- The human body; a person. If you see this in the Map of my Microcosme, followes it that I am knowne well enough too?
- A smaller system which is seen as representative of a larger one. Near-synonyms: epitome, paradigm, model
- A small natural ecosystem; an artificial ecosystem set up as an experimental model. The method is relatively labour intensive (24-30 microcosms are run) and more difficult to interpret when compared with other microcosm methods (Shannon et al. 1986; Cairns & Cherry 1993).
Opposite: macrocosm
Thesaurus
noun
Opposite: macrocosm
Translations
Every language
noun human nature or body as representative of the wider universe
| Español | microcosmo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 소우주 souju |
| 日本語 | 小宇宙 shōuchū |
| 中文 | 小宇宙 xiǎoyǔzhòu |
| Português | microcosmo |
| Français | microcosme |
| Deutsch | Mikrokosmos |
| Italiano | microcosmo |
| Ελληνικά | μικροκόσμος mikrokósmos |
| Русский | микроко́см mikrokósm, микроко́смос mikrokósmos |
noun obsolete: the human body, a person
| Español | microcosmo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 小宇宙 shōuchū |
noun smaller system as representative of a larger one
| Español | microcosmo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 축도 chukdo |
| 日本語 | 小宇宙 shōuchū |
| 中文 | 縮影 /缩影 suōyǐng |
| Português | microcosmo |
| Français | microcosme |
| Deutsch | Mikrokosmos |
| Italiano | microcosmo |
| Română | microcosm, microcosmos |
| Русский | микроми́р mikromír, микроко́см mikrokósm, мирок mirok |
noun small natural ecosystem; an artificial ecosystem set up as an experimental model
| Español | microcosmo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 小宇宙 shōuchū |
| Português | microcosmo |
| Français | microcosme |
| Italiano | microcosmo |
Talk about this word "microcosm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/microcosm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. microcosm. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/microcosm "microcosm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/microcosm.Cite this
@misc{microcosm_2026,
title = {microcosm},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/microcosm},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
