variants
or less commonly pigmy
plural pygmies also pigmies
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
Synonyms
Examples of pygmy in a Sentence
hummingbirds may be the pygmies of the avian world, but what they lack in size they make up for in beauty
regrettably, most of the candidates for the party's nomination that year were political pygmies
Recent Examples on the Web
Poppy was the name chosen for a newborn pygmy hippo at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia after the zoo held an online contest to determine her name, with zoo officials saying Poppy won with 52.8% of the total votes.
—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Jan. 2025
On December 9, the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia welcomed a newborn female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis).
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
On September 28, Bowen Yang performed one of 2024’s most resonant pieces of political theater while dressed as a pygmy hippo.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 30 Dec. 2024
This new boom of squishy babies marks important ecological progress for pygmy hippos, which are an endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
—Manuela López Restrepo, NPR, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pygmy 
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Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Jan. 2025
On December 9, the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia welcomed a newborn female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis).
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
On September 28, Bowen Yang performed one of 2024’s most resonant pieces of political theater while dressed as a pygmy hippo.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 30 Dec. 2024
This new boom of squishy babies marks important ecological progress for pygmy hippos, which are an endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
—Manuela López Restrepo, NPR, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pygmy
Articles Related to pygmy
Dictionary Entries Near pygmy
Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pygmy. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pygmy
noun
pyg·my
ˈpig-mē 
plural pygmies
1
capitalized
: any of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet (1.5 meters) in height
2
: a person or thing very small for its kind
pygmy
adjective
Etymology
Middle English pigmei "pygmy, dwarf," from Latin pygmaeus (noun and adjective) "pygmy, dwarfish," from Greek pygmaios (same meaning), literally, "one no longer than the forearm," from pygmē "fist, measure of length from the elbow to the knuckles"
Word Origin
In ancient Greek the word pygmē was used to mean "a measure of length from the elbow to the knuckles." It also came to refer to the fist. From this word Greek writers formed the word pygmaios for "a tiny person no longer than the forearm." They were assumed to be writing about imaginary figures, not real people. Later, this Greek word was taken into Latin as pygmaeus, meaning "dwarf." From Latin pygmaeus English formed the word pygmy. In the 19th century this word was applied to a member of a race of small people found living in Africa.
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