n.
Variant: also pig · my
Pronunciation: ' pig-m ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural pygmies also pigmies
Etymology: Middle English pigmei, from Latin pygmaeus of a pygmy, dwarfish, from Greek pygmaios, from pygm ē fist, measure of length ― more at PUNGENT
Date: 14th century
1 often capitalized : any of a race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors
2 capitalized : any of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet (1.5 meters) in height
3 a (1) : an unusually small person (2) : an insignificant or unimpressive person <an intellectual pygmy > b : something very small of its kind
– pygmy adjective