Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1100-1200
Language: Medieval Latin
Origin: microcosmus, from Greek mikros kosmos 'small world'

microcosm

 noun
     
mi‧cro‧cos‧m [countable]
a small group, society, or place that has the same qualities as a much larger one [↪ macrocosm]
microcosm of
New York's mix of people is a microcosm of America.
in microcosm
All the problems of society can be seen here in microcosm.
—microcosmic adjective:
the forces which we see at work on a microcosmic scale
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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