1880, Richard Francis Burton, The Kasidah, London: H. S. Nichols, 1894, p. 7,
The marvel is that man can smile dreaming his ghostly ghastly dream;—
Better the heedless atomy that buzzes in the morning beam!
(archaic) An indivisible particle.
(archaic) A tiny being; a very small person.
noun
(archaic) A skeleton.
1728, John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera, Dublin: George Risk et al., Act II, Scene 1, p. 67,
I could not save him from those fleaing Rascals the Surgeons; and now, poor Man, he is among the Otamys [sic] at Surgeon's Hall.
adjective
Resembling a tiny particle; made up of tiny particles.
1894, Richard Henry Savage, The Princess of Alaska, Chicago and New York: Rand, McNally, Book 2, Chapter 8, p. 235,
[…] the atomy speck, hurled through space, which we mortals call the world!