Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A small, representative system having analogies to a larger system in constitution, configuration, or development: "He sees the auto industry as a microcosm of the U.S. itself” ( William J. Hampton).
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. A little world; a miniature universe. Hence (so called by Paracelsus), a man, as a supposed epitome of the exterior universe or great world. Opposed to
macrocosm . - n. A relatively small object or system considered as representative of a larger system of which it is part, exhibiting many features of the complete system.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A little world or cosmos; the world in miniature; something representing or assumed to represent the principle of universality: often applied to man regarded as an epitome, physically and morally, of the universe or great world (the macrocosm).
- n. A little community or society.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a miniature model of something
Etymologies
Examples
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The Finnish pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010 portrays our country in microcosm, presenting both Finland and its society to the world.
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It was, in microcosm, an illustration of the success, and burden of the success of managing AIDS as a chronic disease in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ray Suarez: Reporter's Notebook: A Clinic's Strains in Mozambique
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These two developments, I submit, signpost in microcosm a road to a future that is survivable, sane, and sustainable.
Jeremy Leggett: The Singular Genius of a Simple Solar Lantern
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Want the messiness of human life and understanding in microcosm?
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And it's the cosmos in microcosm, of course – another advantage.
Poem of the week: What mystery pervades a well! by Emily Dickinson
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The states themselves are free trade zones in microcosm, and the less prosperous communities in states often catch up relative to the more prosperous ones.
Extreme Free Trade, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
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It's unfortunate because Vermont can be treated as American society in microcosm in certain aspects.
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The fourteenth century had a lot going on throughout Europe, and what makes World Without End an incredible novel is that Follett uses the monumental and catastrophic events in microcosm focused through a couple of small towns in England.
“World Without End” by Ken Follett (Dutton, 2007) « The BookBanter Blog
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If there is one work that contains, in microcosm, both the Zola and Céline influences, it is
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In many ways this race refelcts the state in microcosm, Charlottesville/Albemarle is Northern Virginia and the southside is Central Virginia (without Chalottesville).
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