Pygmy \Pyg"my\, n.; pl. Pygmies. [L. pygmaeus, Gr. ?, fr. ?
the fist, a measure of length, the distance from the elbow to
the knuckles, about 131 inches. Cf. Pugnacious, Fist.]
[Written also pigmy.]
1. (Class. Myth.) One of a fabulous race of dwarfs who waged
war with the cranes, and were destroyed.
2. Hence, a short, insignificant person; a dwarf.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) |