pygmy

Pyg·my

also Pig·my (pĭg′mē)n. pl. Pyg·mies also Pig·mies 1. Greek Mythology A member of a race of dwarfs.2. also pygmy A member of any of various peoples, especially of equatorial Africa and parts of Southeast Asia, having an average height less than 5 feet (1.5 meters).3. pygmya. An individual of unusually small size.b. An individual considered to be of little or no importance: political pygmies.adj.1. also pygmy Of or relating to the Pygmies.2. pygmya. Unusually or atypically small.b. Unimportant; trivial.

[Middle English pigmie, from Latin Pygmaeī, the Pygmies, from Greek Pugmaioi, from pugmē, cubit, fist; see peuk- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: From an anthropological point of view, a pygmy is a member of any of various African, Asian, or South American peoples whose average height is less than five feet. As an ethnic term, however, Pygmy is used more exclusively of the peoples inhabiting the forests of equatorial Africa in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding countries. Many people consider it offensive to refer to others by a name that identifies them in terms of a physical trait and would prefer to use an alternative, if one existed. But the indigenous names of these peoples—such as Aka, Twa, and Efe—are unfamiliar to most Americans, and none of them can be used as a comprehensive term for all such groups, even in central Africa. Thus Pygmy is still in general use, although sometimes qualified by "so-called" to indicate dissatisfaction with a term that strikes many as inherently derogatory.

pygmy

(ˈpɪɡmɪ) or

pigmy

n, pl -mies1. (Medicine) an abnormally undersized person2. something that is a very small example of its type3. a person of little importance or significance4. (modifier) of very small stature or size[C14 pigmeis the Pygmies, from Latin Pygmaeus a Pygmy, from Greek pugmaios undersized, from pugmē fist] pygmaean, pygmean adj

Pygmy

(ˈpɪɡmɪ) or

Pigmy

n, pl -mies (Peoples) a member of one of the dwarf peoples of Equatorial Africa, noted for their hunting and forest culture

Pyg•my

or Pigmy

(ˈpɪg mi)

n., pl. -mies,
adj. n. 1. a. a member of any of several small-statured peoples of Africa, esp. the forested regions of central Africa. b. a Negrito of SE Asia, or of the Andaman or Philippine islands. 2. (l.c.) a small or dwarfish person. 3. (l.c.) anything very small of its kind. 4. (l.c.) a person of small importance or lacking in some important quality, attribute, etc. adj. 5. (sometimes l.c.) of or pertaining to the Pygmies. 6. (l.c.) of very small size, capacity, power, etc. [1350–1400; Middle English pigmēis, pl. of pigmē < Latin Pygmaeus < Greek pygmaîos dwarfish, a member of a legendary race of dwarflike people =pygm(ḗ) distance from elbow to knuckles + -aios adj. suffix] pyg′moid, adj. pyg′my•ism, n. syn: See dwarf.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	pygmy - an unusually small individual pigmysmall person - a person of below average size
	2.	Pygmy - any member of various peoples having an average height of less than five feetPigmysmall person - a person of below average size

pygmy

also pigmy
adjectiveExtremely small:diminutive, dwarf, Lilliputian, midget, miniature, minuscule, minute, tiny, wee.Informal: peewee, pintsize, pintsized, teensy-weensy, teensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, weeny.

Translations

pygmy,

pigmy

(ˈpigmi) – plural ˈpygmies ~ˈpigmies – noun a member of an African race of very small people. 非洲的一个矮小种族，俾格米人

Pygmy

Pigmy

(both: pĭg`mē), term used for dark-skinned people who live in equatorial rain forests and average less than 59 in. (150 cm) in height. Some studies make a distinction between Negrillos, who live in Africa, and Negritos, who live in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Philippines; this classification system is rarely used today, however. Anthropologists have noted that, like many inhabitants of rain forests, Pygmies traditionally are hunter-gatherers who live in small, seminomadic bands with patrilineal or bilateral descent. They are distinguished according to language and culture.

In Africa, Pygmies are divided into four groups: the Binga along the Atlantic coast, including the Beku, Bongo, Jelli, Koa, Kola, Kuya, Rimba, and Yaga; the Twa in the high regions surrounding Lake Kivu; the Gesera and Zigaba in Rwanda and Burundi; and the Mbuti, Aka, and Efe of the Ituri forest in northeastern Congo (Kinshasa). Some believe that they predate neighboring agricultural peoples. Others believe that they have always had reciprocal, if somewhat subordinate, relations with other societies such as the Lese, Bira, Ltsi, and Ndaka; they have commonly traded products of the forest for garden crops and iron tools. Indeed, they no longer speak their own languages, but rather that of the group with whom they have most contact, such as Bantu, Eastern Nigritic, and Central Sudanic. Recent government efforts have tried to resettle them and force them into agricultural production, and many have been displaced by deforestation. African pygmy populations also have suffered from prejudice and discrimination.

Among the SE Asian Pygmies are the Batak and the Agta of the Philippines, the Andaman Islanders, and the Semang of the Malay Peninsula. They speak various Asian languages, which belong to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austronesian language family. Gene studies have shown the Andaman Islanders to have a strain of mitochondrial DNA that is common in Asians. The theory that all Pygmies are survivors of the ancestral human type, or are migrants of common stock from S Asia in prehistoric times, remains unproven.

Bibliography

See J. Eder, On the Road to Tribal Extinction (1987).

Pygmy

, Pigmy a member of one of the dwarf peoples of Equatorial Africa, noted for their hunting and forest culture

pygmy

Pyg·my

pygmy

pigmy

Pygmy

Pigmy

Pyg•my

or Pigmy

pygmy

pygmy,

pigmy

Pygmy

Pygmy

Pigmy

Bibliography

Pygmy

pygmy

pyg·my

pyg·my

pygmy

Synonyms for pygmy

adj extremely small

Synonyms

Synonyms for pygmy

noun an unusually small individual

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Related Words

noun any member of various peoples having an average height of less than five feet

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Related Words