English Dictionary

pygmy

/pɪɡmiː/

noun

(often capitalized) A member of one of various Ancient Equatorial African tribal peoples, notable for their very short stature. / (Greek mythology) A member of a race of dwarfs.

The pygmy is the smallest species of ape.

意味（1）

(often capitalized) A member of one of various Ancient Equatorial African tribal peoples, notable for their very short stature.

Although Pygmies are relatively protected against gene flow from other populations, many Pygmy tribes show extensive gene replacement and few have remained relatively unaltered.

意味（2）

(Greek mythology) A member of a race of dwarfs.

Ctesias lived in Persia for several years, as the personal physician of King Ataxerxes II, and would have had contact with travellers to India, and Indian visitors to Persia. He describes dog-headed humans, pygmy men who grow their beards so long that they can be used as clothes, and affirms that it never rains in India.

意味（3）

(figuratively, derogatory, offensive) Any dwarfish person or thing.

It was so high up that the people walking about in the street below looked like pygmies.

意味（4）

(figuratively, derogatory, offensive) An insignificant person, at least in some respect.

On the world stage Germany is an economic giant but a political pygmy, Britain in comparison a political giant but an economic pygmy.