Main Entry: pyg·my

Variant(s): also pig·my \ˈpig-mē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural pygmies also pigmies

Etymology: Middle English pigmei, from Latin pygmaeus of a pygmy, dwarfish, from Greek pygmaios, from pygmē 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