Pygmy: Meaning and Definition of
Pyg•my
Pronunciation: (pig'mē), [key]
— n., pl. adj. -mies,
—n.
-
- a member of a small-statured people native to equatorial Africa.
- a Negrito of southeastern Asia, or of the Andaman or Philippine islands.
- (l.c.) a small or dwarfish person.
- (l.c.) anything very small of its kind.
- (l.c.) a person who is of small importance, or who has some quality, attribute, etc., in very small measure.
- (in the Iliad) one of a race of dwarfs who fought battles with cranes, who preyed on them and destroyed their fields.
—adj.
- (often l.c.) of or pertaining to the Pygmies.
- (l.c.) of very small size, capacity, power, etc.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.