Definition of MICROCOSM

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A microcosm is a "little world" - "mikros kosmos" in Greek. The Greek term was modified to "microcosmus" in Medieval Latin. When early medieval scholars referred to humans as miniature embodiments of the natural universe, they either employed the Latin word microcosmus or they used the English translation, "less world." "Man is callyd the lasse worlde, for he shewyth in hymselfe lyknesse of all the worlde," wrote John Trevisa when he translated the Latin text of Bartholomaeus Anglicus’ encyclopedia in the 14th century. But by the 15th century scholars had adopted an anglicized version of the Latin word, the word we use today - "microcosm."

Examples of microcosm in a Sentence

The village is a microcosm of the whole country. The game was a microcosm of the entire season.

Recent Examples on the Web

Basketball acts as a microcosm of Suga’s life on this song. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "BTS' 50 Best Songs: Critics' Picks," 12 June 2018 Other than that brief period, however, its focus has always looked to Boston as a microcosm of black consciousness in America. — James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "WGBH’s ‘Basic Black’ celebrates a big anniversary," 24 Apr. 2018 Tan, a former actress and product manager raised in New Jersey who has spent the last decade commuting between New York and Shanghai, shrinks the 21st-century global stage into the microcosm of Lanson Suites #8202. — Terry Hong, The Christian Science Monitor, "'What We Were Promised' depicts post-Mao China in a deft debut novel set in Shanghai," 13 July 2018 Instead, the administration has entered into a high-stakes gambit with neither a strategy nor an off-ramp in sight for either nation, which has turned the standoff into a microcosm of the administration’s blunt, simplistic approach to policy. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Why Trump Might Lose His Trade War With China," 9 July 2018 Walnut Street is a microcosm of what the future of America’s upscale urban retail experience is likely to become. — Elizabeth Wellington, Philly.com, "As our definition of luxury shifts, Walnut Street evolves with it | Elizabeth Wellington," 10 July 2018 That is a microcosm of what Suns fans can expect from the first-year coach. — Atreya Verma, azcentral, "Suns summer-leaguers buying into Igor Kokoskov's coaching style, defense," 9 July 2018 That is a microcosm of contentious Brexit negotiations. — WSJ, "For U.K. Fishermen, Brexit Comes With a Catch," 27 June 2018 Now, the city’s socioeconomic complexities and seismic battles over gentrification serve as microcosms for the times, allowing the Oakland-centric films of 2018 to start wider conversations and, possibly, wind up in the Oscar race this fall. — Jen Yamato, latimes.com, "Beyond 'Black Panther': Thanks to a wave of homegrown filmmakers, Oakland is having a Hollywood moment," 7 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'microcosm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.