MIDGET

bantam, diminutive, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny, flyspeck

(adjective) very small; “diminutive in stature”; “a lilliputian chest of drawers”; “her petite figure”; “tiny feet”; “the flyspeck nation of Bahrain moved toward democracy”

dwarf, midget, nanus

(noun) a person who is markedly small

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

midget (plural midgets)

(originally) A little sandfly.

(loosely) Any small swarming insect similar to the mosquito; a midge.

(sometimes offensive) A normally proportioned person with small stature, usually defined as reaching an adult height less than 4'10". [from later 19th c.]

(sometimes offensive) Any short person.

(attributively) A small version of something; miniature.

Usage notes

• Used for an insect, this is a variation on midge that is incorrect but commonly used.

Synonyms

• (person below 4'10"): dwarf (loosely)

• (derogatory: any small person): dwarf, short-arse, shortie/shorty, tich/titch, vertically challenged person (humorous)

• (swarming insect): midge

• (miniature): dwarf

Antonyms

• (derogatory: any small person): giant

• (miniature): giant

Hyponyms

• (a small person): manikin, homunculus, pygmy, lilliputian

Source: Wiktionary


Midg"et, n. Etym: [Dim. of midge.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A minute bloodsucking fly. [Local, U. S.]

2. A very diminutive person.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

8 May 2025

INSULATION

(noun) the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity


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Coffee Trivia

Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.

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