midget
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Diminutive of midge (from Old English myċġ (“mosquito”), from Proto-Germanic *mugjō, from Proto-Indo-European *mus-, *mu-, *mew-; cognate with Dutch mug (“mosquito”) and German Mücke (“midge, gnat”)), using the suffix -et, originally (1865) for a "little sand fly", only around 1869 also a "very small person".
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_%E2%80%93_El_buf%C3%B3n_el_Primo_%28Museo_del_Prado%2C_1644%29.jpg/170px-Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_%E2%80%93_El_buf%C3%B3n_el_Primo_%28Museo_del_Prado%2C_1644%29.jpg)
midget (plural midgets)
- (originally) A little sandfly.
- Although tiny and just two-winged, midgets can bite you till you itch all over your unprotected skin.
- (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, now sometimes offensive) A small version of something; miniature.
- the midget pony
Usage notes
[edit]- Used for an insect, this is a variation on midge that is commonly used.
- Use of this word may be considered offensive, even when describing something other than a person.[1]
Synonyms
[edit]- (person below 4'10"): dwarf (loosely), little person
- (derogatory: any small person): dwarf, short-arse, shortie/shorty, tich/titch, vertically challenged person (humorous)
- (swarming insect): midge
- (miniature): dwarf
- munchkin
- elf
Antonyms
[edit]Hyponyms
[edit]- (a small person): manikin, homunculus, pygmy, lilliputian
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10"
|
loosely: a midge — see midge
derogatory: any short person
|
attributively: that is the small version of something
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References
[edit]- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “midget”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ Patrick Sawer (2022 January 12) “Midget Gems renamed after claims name is hateful towards people with dwarfism”, in The Telegraph, retrieved 14 October 2023
Categories:
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɪd͡ʒɪt
- Rhymes:English/ɪd͡ʒɪt/2 syllables
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English offensive terms
- en:Dipterans
- en:People
- en:Size