pygmy

English

Alternative forms

• pigmy

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek πυγμαῖος (pugmaîos, “a member of a race of dwarves”), from πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist (as small as a fist)”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪɡmiː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

pygmy (plural pygmies)

1. (often capitalized) A member of one of various Ancient Equatorial African tribal peoples, notable for their very short stature.

   The Bantu immigration drove many Pygmy tribes into the darkest jungle, while other Pygmies were reduced to cohabitation in a subservient status

2. (Greek mythology) A member of a race of dwarfs.

   Homer and Herodote mentioned pygmies in India (which would fit the Andamanese Negritoes) or Ethiopia (then meaning all of Subsaharan Africa).

3. (figuratively, derogatory, offensive) Any dwarfish person or thing.

   Everyone looked like pygmies whenever giant Joe joined his classmates.

4. (figuratively, derogatory, offensive) An insignificant person, at least in some respect.

   Despite his towering stature, the minister proved a political pygmy.

Synonyms

• dwarf
• midget

Antonyms

• giant
• ettin

Derived terms

Derived terms

• pygmy hippopotamus
• pygmyish

• pygmyism
• pygmy sperm whale

Related terms

• pygmoid

Translations

a member of various African peoples

• Bulgarian: пигме́й (bg) m (pigméj)
• Catalan: pigmeu m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 侏儒 (zh) (zhūrú), 矮人 (zh) (ǎirén)

• Czech: Pygmej m
• Danish: pygmæ c
• Dutch: pygmee (nl) m or f
• Faroese: pygmeur m
• Finnish: pygmi (fi)
• French: pygmée (fr) m
• German: Pygmäe (de) m
• Hungarian: pigmeus
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: pigmí m
• Japanese: ピグミー (pigumī)
• Korean: 난쟁이 (ko) (nanjaeng'i)
• Norwegian: pygmé m, pygme m
• Portuguese: pigmeu m
• Romanian: pigmeu (ro) m
• Russian: пигме́й (ru) m (pigméj)
• Spanish: pigmeo m
• Swedish: pygmé (sv) c
• Tagalog: himandak
• Volapük: (♂♀) pügmen, (♂) hipügmen, (♀) jipügmen

a member of a mythological race of dwarfs

• Dutch: pygmee (nl) m or f
• Finnish: kääpiö (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: πυγμαῖος m (pugmaîos)

• Japanese: 小人族 (こびとぞく, kobitozoku)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: pigmeu m
• Romanian: pigmeu (ro) m, pitic (ro) m
• Russian: пигме́й (ru) m (pigméj)
• Swedish: pygmé (sv) c
• Tagalog: himandak

any dwarfish person

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 侏儒 (zh) (zhūrú), 矮人 (zh) (ǎirén)

• Dutch: dwerg (nl) m, pygmee (nl) m or f
• Japanese: 小人 (こびと, kobito)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: pigmeu m
• Romanian: pitic (ro) m
• Russian: ка́рлик (ru) m (kárlik)
• Tagalog: himandak

an insignificant person

• Dutch: dwerg (nl) m, pygmee (nl) m or f
• Japanese: 無能 (ja) (むのう, munō)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: pigmeu m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} pygmée (fr) m
• German: ^{(please verify)} Pygmy m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 피그미족 (pigeumijok)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} enano (es) m, ^{(please verify)} pigmeo m

Adjective

pygmy (comparative more pygmy, superlative most pygmy)

1. Relating or belonging to the Pygmy people
2. Like a pygmy; unusually short or small for its kind

   Soil exhaustion ultimately produces a pygmy crop at best

Synonyms

• pygmyish
• dwarfish

See also

• Negrito