FromLatinPygmaeī, fromAncient Greekπυγμαῖος(pugmaîos,“a member of a race of dwarves”), fromπυγμή(pugmḗ,“fist (as small as a fist)”).
pygmy (pluralpygmies)
- (often capitalized) A member of one of various AncientEquatorial African tribalpeoples, notable for their very shortstature.
2018, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza,The History and Geography of Human Genes:AlthoughPygmies are relatively protected against gene flow from other populations, manyPygmy tribes show extensive gene replacement and few have remained relatively unaltered.
- (Greekmythology) A member of arace ofdwarfs.
2015, Sam Miller,A Strange Kind of Paradise: India through Foreign Eyes:Ctesias lived in Persia for several years, as the personal physician of King Ataxerxes II, and would have had contact with travellers to India, and Indian visitors to Persia. He describes dog-headed humans,pygmy men who grow their beards so long that they can be used as clothes, and affirms that it never rains in India.
- (figuratively, derogatory, offensive) Anydwarfish person or thing.
2015, Rosie Harris,Moving On: A family saga set in 1970’s Liverpool:It was so high up that the people walking about in the street below looked likepygmies.
- (figuratively, derogatory, offensive) Aninsignificant person, at least in some respect.
2016, Hugh Miall,Beyond Deterrence: Britain, Germany and the New European Security Debate:On the world stage Germany is an economic giant but a politicalpygmy, Britain in comparison a political giant but an economicpygmy.
a member of various African peoples
a member of a mythological race of dwarfs
Translations to be checked
pygmy (comparativemorepygmy,superlativemostpygmy)
- Relating or belonging to the Pygmy people.
- Like a pygmy; unusually short or small for its kind.
1999, Ashok V. Desai,The Price of Onions, page73:Amongst foodgrains, as we travelled from the green South and East towards the dry North and West, thepygmy crop of rice gave way to the tall bajra and jowar.
