microcosm
/ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌkɑz.əm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.80 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature.
noun
A smaller system which is seen as representative of a larger one.
noun
A small natural ecosystem; an artificial ecosystem set up as an experimental model.
Example Sentences
- "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 in sympathy with the Christian humanists."
- "If you see this in the Map of my Microcosme, followes it that I am knowne well enough too?"
- "Near-synonyms: epitome, paradigm, model"
- "With a few actors at his disposition he created a microcosm of life."
- "That short journey to Brighton was like a microcosm of the railway universe, embracing as it did a tunnel, a viaduct, two junctions, and two termini! Unfortunately, the route was far from direct."
- "‘In a sense, the problems experienced at Bristol are like a microcosm of what is happening in the NHS - experienced surgeons battling against difficult circumstances, with inadequate resources and in a culture where the finding of scapegoats appears to be put before the finding of solutions.’"
Etymology
From French microcosme, from Latin microcosmus, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”) + κόσμος (kósmos, “universe, order”); micro- + -cosm.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌkɑz.əm/
- British English: /ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/