microcosm

noun

1. Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature.

   “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.”

2. (obsolete)The human body; a person.

   “If you see this in the Map of my Microcosme, followes it that I am knowne well enough too?”

3. A smaller system which is seen as representative of a larger one.

   “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.’”

   “Steve Bruce's side have swung from highs to lows in what has been at best a wildly inconsistent start to the season. They experienced a microcosm of this within the opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light.”

4. A small natural ecosystem; an artificial ecosystem set up as an experimental model.

   “The method is relatively labour intensive (24-30 microcosms are run) and more difficult to interpret when compared with other microcosm methods (Shannon et al. 1986; Cairns & Cherry 1993).”