| gen. |
little people (people who are much smaller than normal); pygmies (1. (also pigmy) noun (pl.pygmies) 1) (Pygmy) a member of certain peoples of very short stature in equatorial Africa and parts of SE Asia. Pygmies (e.g. the Mbuti and Twa peoples) are typically nomadic hunter-gatherers with an average male height not above 150 cm (4 ft 11 in.) 2) chiefly derogatory a very small person, animal, or thing ¦ a person who is insignificant or is deficient in a particular respect he regarded them as intellectual pygmies 2. adjective very small or insignificant ¦ used in names of animals and plants that are much smaller than more typical kinds, e.g. pygmy shrew, pygmy water lily. NOED Alexander Demidov); pigmies (1. often capitalized • one of a fabled race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors 2. usually capitalized • one of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet in height, having dark skin but lighter than that of true Negroes, poorly developed chins, moderately round heads, and broad noses, practicing a crude hunting culture, using the languages of their nearest neighbors, and being prob. most closely related to the Negritos 3. a. • a short insignificant person • dwarf b. • elf, gnome, pixy c. • a thing very small for its kind 4. obsolete • a chimpanzee or other anthropoid ape. WTNI Alexander Demidov) |
