homunculus
Alchemist's little man
A homunculus is a tiny fully formed human, especially one imagined to exist inside a sperm cell or to be created by alchemy.
The term now appears most often in neuroscience, where a homunculus is a distorted human figure mapped onto the brain's surface, with body parts sized according to how much neural territory they occupy—hands and lips grotesquely enlarged, trunk and legs shrunken.
The plural is homunculi or homunculi.
Extremely small in size
- diminutiveVery small, or nickname form
- mannikinAnatomical or display model
- manikinHuman-shaped display form
- little manCommon person, not powerful
pocket-sized · small · doll · figurine · shrunken · wee · minuscule · Lilliputian
Distillation apparatus
- crucibleVessel for extreme heat
- philosopher's stoneLegendary substance enabling transmutation
- elixirMythical healing draught
- transmutationComplete change of form
magnum opus · retort · mandrake · semen · flask · creation · artificial life · generative
Private essential identity
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- microcosmMiniature representation of larger whole
- anthropomorphismAttributing personality to things
- embodimentConcrete manifestation of idea
allegory · metaphor · representation · archetype · avatar · figurative · motif · proxy
Of x-y coordinate geometry
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
- infinite regressUnending causal chain
- DescartesCogito ergo sum's author
- mind's eyeInternal visualization capacity
consciousness · perception · representation · phenomenology · cognition · qualia · intentionality · epistemology
Animated clay servant
- mandrake rootForked tuber from folklore
- familiarKnown from experience
- changelingSubstituted fairy child
- brownieDense chocolate baked square
kobold · doppelgänger · fetch · Pinocchio · Frankenstein · animated · legend · folklore
Relating to bodily sensation
- motor cortexBrain region controlling movement
- brain mappingCharting neural structures
- sensory cortexBrain area processing senses
- neuroanatomyStudy of nervous system structure
body map · cortex · disproportionate · lips · hands · tongue · fingers · tactile
tiny
Extremely small in size
- diminutiveVery small, or nickname form
- mannikinAnatomical or display model
- manikinHuman-shaped display form
little man · pocket-sized · small · doll · figurine · shrunken · wee · minuscule · Lilliputian · petite
alembic
Distillation apparatus
- crucibleVessel for extreme heat
- philosopher's stoneLegendary substance enabling transmutation
- elixirMythical healing draught
transmutation · magnum opus · retort · mandrake · semen · flask · creation · artificial life · generative · fermentation
inner self
Private essential identity
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- microcosmMiniature representation of larger whole
- anthropomorphismAttributing personality to things
embodiment · allegory · metaphor · representation · archetype · avatar · figurative · motif · proxy · stand-in
Cartesian
Of x-y coordinate geometry
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
- infinite regressUnending causal chain
- DescartesCogito ergo sum's author
mind's eye · consciousness · perception · representation · phenomenology · cognition · qualia · intentionality · epistemology · solipsism
golem
Animated clay servant
- mandrake rootForked tuber from folklore
- familiarKnown from experience
- changelingSubstituted fairy child
brownie · kobold · doppelgänger · fetch · Pinocchio · Frankenstein · animated · legend · folklore
somatosensory
Relating to bodily sensation
- motor cortexBrain region controlling movement
- brain mappingCharting neural structures
- sensory cortexBrain area processing senses
neuroanatomy · body map · cortex · disproportionate · lips · hands · tongue · fingers · tactile
homunculusgolem
Animated clay servant
automaton · android · Frankenstein's monster · clay figure · robot