- pigmy
- Pygmy Pyg"my, n.; pl. {Pygmies}. [L. pygmaeus, Gr. ?, fr. ?
the fist, a measure of length, the distance from the elbow to
the knuckles, about 131 inches. Cf. {Pugnacious}, {Fist}.]
[Written also {pigmy}.]
1. (Class. Myth.) One of a fabulous race of dwarfs who waged
war with the cranes, and were destroyed.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence, a short, insignificant person; a dwarf. [1913 Webster]
3. One of a race of Central African Negritos found chiefly in the great forests of the equatorial belt. They are the shortest of known races, the adults ranging from less than four to about five feet in stature. They are timid and shy, dwelling in the recesses of the forests, though often on good terms with neighboring Negroes. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Pygmies are pygmies still, though perched on Alps. And pyramids are pyramids in vales. --Young. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
