Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “macrocosm” come from?

Macrocosm comes from Old French macrocosme, from Ancient Greek μακρός meaning "long" or "large," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ḱ- meaning "great" or "long."

macrocosm (English): A complex structure, such as a society,...

Definitions

  1. A complex structure, such as a society,...

Ancestry of “macrocosm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latinmacrocosmus—
2Ancient Greekκόσμοςorder; lawful order, government; mode, fashion
3Ancient Greekθέσιςa setting, placement, arrangement; deposit;...
4Ancient GreekτίθημιI put, place, set; I make, cause to be; I make
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place

Words derived from “macrocosm”

  • macrocosmic
  • macrocosmically
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- →