atomies
|at-o-my|
/ˈætəmi/
(atomy)
tiny indivisible particle; skeleton/remnant
Etymology
'atomy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'atomos', where 'a-' meant 'not' and 'tomos' meant 'cut'.
'atomy' passed into Late Latin and Medieval Latin (e.g. 'atomia') and then into Middle English and early Modern English as 'atomie', eventually becoming 'atomy' in modern English.
Initially, it referred to an 'indivisible particle' (from Greek 'atomos'); over time it acquired literary and archaic senses such as a 'very tiny being' or an 'emaciated person'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
very small particles; minute, indivisible bodies (literary).
The old text describes the universe as made of countless atomies drifting in the void.
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Noun 2
an emaciated, tiny, or meagre person; a skeleton-like figure (archaic, literary).
In the alley he saw a line of atomies, huddled and trembling in the cold.
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Noun 3
a small or minute specimen studied in anatomy or natural philosophy (historical).
Sixteenth-century scientists sometimes referred to minute organisms as atomies under the microscope.
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Last updated: 2025/11/12 19:28