midget
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Diminutive of midge (from Old English mygg, mycg (“‘gnat’”), from Proto-Germanic *mugjon; cognate with Dutch mug (“‘mosquito’”) & German Mücke (“‘midge, gnat’”)), using the suffix -et, originally (1865) for a "little sand fly" , only around 1869 also a "very small person".
[edit] Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɪdʒɪt
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
midget (plural midgets)
- (originally) A little sand-fly.
- Although tiny and just two-winged, midgets can bite you manyfold till you itch all over your unprotected skin
- (loosely) Any small swarming insect similar to the mosquito; a midge
- A normally proportioned person with small stature, usually defined as reaching an adult height less than 4'10".
- (derogatory) A short person.
- (attributively) That is a small version of something; miniature
- the midget pony
[edit] Usage notes
- Used for an insect, this is an variation on midge that is incorrect but commonly used.
[edit] Synonyms
- (person below 4'10"): dwarf (loosely)
- (derogatory: any small person): dwarf, short-arse, shortie/shorty, tich/titch, vertically challenged person (humorous)
- (swarming insect): midge
- (miniature): dwarf
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Translations
person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10"
derogatory: any short person
attributively: that is the small version of something
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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loosely: a midge See midge
