pygmies
|pyg-mies|
/ˈpɪɡmi/
(pygmy)
small stature
Etymology
'pygmy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'pygmaios', where 'pygme' meant 'a cubit' (a measure of length).
'pygmy' passed into Latin as 'pygmaeus', then into Old French and Middle English (e.g. 'pigmee'), eventually becoming the modern English word 'pygmy'.
Initially related to the word for 'cubit' or a measurement ('pygme'), it came to denote a person or people of small stature and later acquired figurative senses meaning 'very small or insignificant'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'pygmy'.
The pygmies live in scattered forest communities.
Noun 2
members of various ethnic groups noted for their short stature, traditionally found in parts of central Africa, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere; often associated historically with hunter-gatherer lifestyles.
Anthropologists have documented the customs and languages of several pygmies groups.
Noun 3
used figuratively to refer to people or things regarded as very small or insignificant compared with others.
Next to the multinational corporations, the local firms seemed like pygmies.
Last updated: 2025/11/18 18:13