Pygmy
Pyg·my / ˈpigmē/ (also Pig·my) • n. (pl. -mies) a member of certain peoples of very short stature in equatorial Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. ∎ (pygmy) chiefly derog. a very small person, animal, or thing. ∎ (pygmy) an insignificant person, esp. one who is deficient in a particular respect: he regarded them as intellectual pigmies.• adj. of, relating to, or denoting the Pygmies: centuries-old Pygmy chants from central Africa. ∎ (pygmy) (of a person or thing) very small. ∎ (pygmy) used in names of animals and plants that are much smaller than more typical kinds, e.g.,pygmy hippopotamus,pygmy water lily.DERIVATIVES: pyg·me·an / ˈpigmēən; pigˈmēən/ adj. ( archaic ).
pygmy
pygmy originally (in late Middle English) denoting a mythological race of small people; in later use, a member of certain peoples of very short stature in equatorial Africa and parts of SE Asia. The word comes via Latin from Greek pugmaios ‘dwarf’, from pugmē ‘the length measured from elbow to knuckles’.
More From encyclopedia.com
keranga , keranga (heath forest) Forest-heath vegetation found in south-eastern Asia, the Amazon basin, and Guyana, and on a small area of the coast of Gabon,… chevrotain , chevrotain •airplane, terreplein •sailplane, tailplane •mainplane •seaplane, ski-plane •chilblain •biplane, triplane •warplane • towplane • Tamerlane… Limestone Forest , limestone forest A distinctive forest type, found within tropical rain-forest regions of south-eastern Asia, and also in the Caribbean region, growin… Forest , forest, a dense growth of trees, together with other plants, covering a large area of land. The science concerned with the study, preservation, and m… evergreen mixed forest , evergreen mixed forest A forest in which the dominant trees are both evergreen broad-leaved hardwoods and conifers. Such forests are particularly wel… Bantu , BANTU. A term with a neutral, scholarly use throughout the world and, especially formerly, a sociopolitical use in SOUTH AFRICA that, in the context…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
Pygmy