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pygmy

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pygmy

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

1often capitalized : any of a race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors2capitalized : any of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet (1.5 meters) in height3 a (1): an unusually small person (2): an insignificant or unimpressive person <an intellectual pygmy> b: something very small of its kind

— pygmy adjective

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