Oompa Loompa

noun

Oom·​pa Loom·​pa ˈüm-pə-ˈlüm-pə 

variants or Oompa-Loompa

plural Oompa Loompas or Oompa-Loompas

1

disparaging + offensive : a person of short stature

2

disparaging + sometimes offensive : a person whose skin has an orange hue (as from a fake tan)

Note: Both senses of Oompa Loompa have their origins in Roald Dahl's children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which the characters who work in the factory are a diminutive people called "the Oompa Loompas." In the 1971 movie adaptation Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, these characters were depicted with orange skin and green hair.

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined at sense 1