variants
or less commonly pigmy
plural pygmies also pigmies
1
often capitalized
: any of a race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors
2
capitalized
: any of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet (1.5 meters) in height
3
a(1)
: an unusually small person
(2)
: an insignificant or unimpressive person
an intellectual pygmy
b
: something very small of its kind
pygmy
adjective
Synonyms
Examples of pygmy in a Sentence
hummingbirds may be the pygmies of the avian world, but what they lack in size they make up for in beauty
regrettably, most of the candidates for the party's nomination that year were political pygmies
Recent Examples on the Web
Moo Deng’s ascendance turned a spotlight on pygmy hippos in general.
—
Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Though most common hippos give birth in water, pygmy hippos also can give birth on land.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Blood sweat is a pink fluid that pygmy hippos ooze out to keep cool in humid climates and to protect their skin from sunburns.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
Fun fact: Richmond is the only place in Virginia where people can see the extremely rare pygmy hippos, which became famous last year because of Moo Deng, the internet sensation from Thailand.
—Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pygmy 
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Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Though most common hippos give birth in water, pygmy hippos also can give birth on land.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Blood sweat is a pink fluid that pygmy hippos ooze out to keep cool in humid climates and to protect their skin from sunburns.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
Fun fact: Richmond is the only place in Virginia where people can see the extremely rare pygmy hippos, which became famous last year because of Moo Deng, the internet sensation from Thailand.
—Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pygmy
Articles Related to pygmy
Dictionary Entries Near pygmy
Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pygmy. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pygmy
noun
pyg·my
ˈpig-mē 
plural pygmies
1
capitalized
: any of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet (1.5 meters) in height
2
: a person or thing very small for its kind
pygmy
adjective
Etymology
Middle English pigmei "pygmy, dwarf," from Latin pygmaeus (noun and adjective) "pygmy, dwarfish," from Greek pygmaios (same meaning), literally, "one no longer than the forearm," from pygmē "fist, measure of length from the elbow to the knuckles"
Word Origin
In ancient Greek the word pygmē was used to mean "a measure of length from the elbow to the knuckles." It also came to refer to the fist. From this word Greek writers formed the word pygmaios for "a tiny person no longer than the forearm." They were assumed to be writing about imaginary figures, not real people. Later, this Greek word was taken into Latin as pygmaeus, meaning "dwarf." From Latin pygmaeus English formed the word pygmy. In the 19th century this word was applied to a member of a race of small people found living in Africa.
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