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
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
However, the researchers also note the prevalence of the two species that together accounted for more than 50% of the bites – pygmy rattlesnakes and cottonmouths.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Other findings include a pygmy pipehorse, barnacle and sea star.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Our palm panoply extends to the ritzy Canary Island date palm, the pygmy date and windmill palms, and a mini-monarchy of queen and king palms, which look a little haphazardly asymmetrical.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Viral pygmy hippo duo can now be seen on zoo's livestream
Iris and Poppy, the viral pygmy hippo duo who live at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, have their own livestream which will show the day-to-day behaviors and adventures of the animals in real time from all over the world.
—Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Other findings include a pygmy pipehorse, barnacle and sea star.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Our palm panoply extends to the ritzy Canary Island date palm, the pygmy date and windmill palms, and a mini-monarchy of queen and king palms, which look a little haphazardly asymmetrical.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Viral pygmy hippo duo can now be seen on zoo's livestream
Iris and Poppy, the viral pygmy hippo duo who live at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, have their own livestream which will show the day-to-day behaviors and adventures of the animals in real time from all over the world.
—Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pygmy. Accessed 28 Apr. 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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