microcosm
/ˈmaɪkɹəˌkɒzəm/MIGH-kruh-ko-zuhm
/ˈmaɪkɹəˌkɑzəm/MIGH-kruh-kah-zuhm
Meaninga small world
Common meaning: a small world that mirrors a larger one
- microlittle, smallLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 513 (approximate) · scan
- cosmGreek kosmos: order; the world
‘little, small’ + ‘order’ → microcosm
Journey through time
- Greekμικρός (mikrós)‘little, small’
- Englishmicrocosm‘a small world that mirrors a larger one’ · today
micro also in: microgrammicrophonemicroscopemicroinjectmicromanage
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós) ‘little, small’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry μικρός (mikrós), p. 513 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry MICROCOSM, p. 366 · dictionary scan
Roots
- μικρός (mikrós) Ancient Greek “little, small”
Related words
microbiologymicroecologymicrogrammicrogravitymicroinjectmicromanagemicrophonemicrophysicsmicroscopemicroscopicmicroscopicallymicrotechnology
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