pygmy
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pygmy
- /ˈpɪɡmi/
Where it comes from
From Latin Pygmaeī, from Ancient Greek πυγμαῖος (pugmaîos, “a member of a legendary race of dwarves”), from πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist (as small as a fist)”). In Ancient Greek, first mentioned by Homer; only applied to actual human races in the 19th century.
noun pygmies · pigmy
- A member of various legendary races of dwarfs, or supernatural peoples of diminutive stature. Here are little Apes, much reſembling men in their countenance, which they vſed to preſerue with certaine Spices, hauing flayed off their skinnes, and left the haire growing in thoſe parts, where Nature cauſeth men to bee hairie, and ſell them to Merchants, to be carried ouer the World as the bodies
- A member of one of various tribal peoples of the Congo Basin in equatorial Africa, notable for their very short stature. The dark negroid Pygmies (Negrittos) are found in the Belgian Congo and in the equatorial area.
- Also applied to various other peoples of short stature. As the Bushman folk are of low stature - the men from four feet six inches to four feet ten inches - they are classed as "Pygmies".
- Any dwarfish person or thing; a disparaging term for a small person. “Look, you little pygmy, I’m going to shove this dagger right through your chicken neck if you don’t tell us!”
- An insignificant person, at least in some respect. On the world stage Germany is an economic giant but a political pygmy, Britain in comparison a political giant but an economic pygmy.
adjective more pygmy · most pygmy · pigmy
- Relating or belonging to the Pygmy people.
- Unusually short or small for its kind, especially in the names of animals and plants. Amongst foodgrains, as we travelled from the green South and East towards the dry North and West, the pygmy crop of rice gave way to the tall bajra and jowar.
Thesaurus
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Every language
noun a member of various African peoples
| Español | pigmeo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 난쟁이 nanjaeng'i |
| 日本語 | ピグミー pigumī |
| 中文 | 侏儒 zhūrú, 矮人 ǎirén, 俾格米 bǐgémǐ |
| Português | pigmeu |
| Français | pygmée |
| Deutsch | Pygmäe |
| Ελληνικά | πυγμαίος pygmaíos |
| Română | pigmeu |
| Русский | пигме́й pigméj |
noun a member of a mythological race of dwarfs
| 日本語 | 小人族 kobitozoku |
|---|---|
| Português | pigmeu |
| Română | pigmeu, pitic |
| Русский | пигме́й pigméj |
Talk about this word "pygmy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pygmy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pygmy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pygmy "pygmy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pygmy.Cite this
@misc{pygmy_2026,
title = {pygmy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pygmy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
