I. pyg ‧ my 1 BrE AmE , pigmy /ˈpɪɡmi/ noun ( plural pygmies , pigmies ) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: pygmaeus 'very small in height' , from Greek , from pygme 'fist (as a unit of length)' ]
1 . ( also Pygmy ) someone who belongs to a race of very small people, especially one of the tribes of central Africa
2 . someone who is not as good, intelligent, strong etc as other people in the same group – used in order to show disapproval:
a literary pygmy
II. pygmy 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
used to describe a type of animal or plant that is much smaller than other similar types:
a pygmy elephant