(also pigmy ) / ˈpɪgmi; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun ( pl. -ies )
1.
Pygmy a member of a race of very short people living in parts of Africa and SE Asia
2.
( disapproving ) a very small person or thing or one that is weak in some way :
He regarded them as intellectual pygmies.
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] used to describe a plant or species (= type) of animal that is much smaller than other similar kinds :
a pygmy shrew
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (originally in the plural, denoting a mythological race of small people): via Latin from Greek pugmaios dwarf, from pugmē the length measured from elbow to knuckles.