E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Mac’rocosm (Greek, the great world),
in opposition to the microcosm (the little world). The ancients looked upon the universe as a living creature, and the followers of Paracelsus considered man a miniature representation of the universe. The one was termed the Macrocosm, the other the Microcosm (q.v.)
