Dictionary Definition
midget adj : very small; "diminutive in stature";
"a lilliputian chest of drawers"; "her petite figure"; "tiny feet";
"the flyspeck nation of Bahrain moved toward democracy" [syn:
bantam, diminutive, lilliputian, petite, tiny, flyspeck] n : a person who is
abnormally small [syn: dwarf, nanus]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
diminutive of midge (from O.E. mygg, mycg "gnat," from Proto-Germanic *mugjon, (cognate with Dutch mug 'mosquito' & German Mücke "midge, gnat")), using the suffix -et, originally (1865) for a "little sand fly" , only around 1869 also a "very small person"Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɪdʒɪt
Noun
midget (plural: midgets)- (originally) a little sand-fly
- Although tiny and just two-winged, midgets can bite you manyfold till you itch all over your unprotected skin
- (loosely) Any small swarming insect similar to the mosquito; a midge
- A normally proportioned person with small stature, usually defined as reaching an adult height less than 4'10".
- A short person.
- (attributively) That is a
small version of something; miniature
- the midget pony
Usage notes
- The term midget to refer to a person of short and small stature is considered offensive by many.
- Used for an insect, this is an variation on midge that is incorrect but commonly used.
Synonyms
- (person below 4'10"): dwarf (loosely)
- dwarf, short-arse, shortie/shorty, tich/titch, vertically challenged person (humorous)
- i-c miniature dwarf
Translations
person of small stature of adult height less
than 4'10"
derogatory: any short person
attributively: that is the small version of
something
loosely: a midge See midge
Extensive Definition
Midget is a term used to describe an
exceptionally short person. The terms "midget" and "dwarf" are
often used synonymously, as both terms mean someone who has been
short in stature since birth, but those terms were not originally
synonyms.
In the 19th century and the first half of the
20th century, midget was a medical term
referring to an extremely short but normally proportioned person,
and was used in contrast to dwarf, which
denoted disproportionate shortness. Like many other older medical
terms, as it became part of popular language, it was often used in
a pejorative sense.
When applied to a person who is very short, midget is now often
considered offensive, an example of the
euphemism treadmill.
Unusual shortness of stature is caused by an
inherited gene and can be
diagnosed at birth by several telltale signs or later when the
child is a toddler. The word dwarf has generally replaced midget
even for proportionally short people, though the term little person is
preferred. According to the Little
People of America, dwarfism is "a medical or genetic condition
that usually results in an adult height of 4 [feet] 10 [inches]
[(147 cm)] or shorter, among both men and women, although in some
cases a person with a dwarfing condition may be slightly taller
than that."
Modern terminology now distinguishes between the
two types of dwarfism using the terms proportionate dwarfism, such
as primordial
dwarfism, and disproportionate dwarfism, such as achondroplasia.
Proportionate dwarfism is often the result of a hormonal deficiency
(such as growth
hormone deficiency), and it may be treated medically.
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
(Merriam-Webster, 1961) defines "midget" in the noun form as "a
very diminutive person", and in the adjective form as "like a
midget in size; very diminutive", hence its usage as a synonym for
"miniature", as with cars.
According to the
Online Etymology Dictionary, the term "midget" comes from
"midge", meaning a sand
fly, and the suffix "-et", meaning little or small.
See also
References
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Lilliputian, Tom Thumb,
brownie, diminutive, dumpy, dwarf, dwarfed, dwarfish, elf, elfin, gnome, homunculus, incipient, lilliputian, manikin, meager, midge, miniature, minikin, nanoid, peewee, pip-squeak, pygmy, rudimental, rudimentary, runt, runty, scraggy, scrubby, shrimp, shriveled, shrunk, shrunken, squat, stunted, teeny, undersize, undersized, wart, wee, wizened