Dictionary

midget en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmɪd͡ʒɪt/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From midge (chiefly in the figurative sense of “small thing”, literally “small fly”) + -et (diminutive suffix), (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”)).

Meanings

1. (derogatory, sometimes) A very small thing; especially one which is conspicuously smaller than expected or by comparison.
   • By using a midget, skin-tight car of the kind made in Italy the Johannesburger might save himself much tribulation, but he likes large and glittering things, and would rather toil round his city in vain search of a place to put his supercharged, supergrinning Mammalac than use a baby car. 1949, Douglas Reed, Somewhere South of Suez: A Further Survey of the Grand Design of the Twentieth Century, page 48:
   • the midget pony
2. (Canada, US, alt-of, alternative, archaic) Alternative form of midge (“small fly”)
   alt of midge
3. (derogatory, offensive) A short person.
   • Like a midget at a urinal, I was going to have to stay on my toes. 1994, Pat Proft, David Zucker, Robert LoCash, 44:20 from the start, in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (motion picture), spoken by Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen):
   • They [children] realize their oughts no less sharply than their crosses; and this even though they are midgets in a land of giants who have forgotten much of their language and whose right is often founded solely on force majeure. 1930, Walter de la Mare, Poems for Children, London: Constable & Co., →OCLC, page xxix; republished in “[The Children’s Bookshop] Children and Childhood”, in Henry Seidel Canby, editor, The Saturday Review of Literature, volume VII, number 9, New York, N.Y.: Saturday Review Associates, 20 September 1930, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 151, column 2:
4. (attributive, derogatory) Something for use by a small person; especially something designed or made for one.

Forms

Antonyms

giant · giant

Deriveds

midget car · midgetly · midget-submarine · midget cell · midget tossing · midget-minded · midgetlike · midgetness · mental midget · crib midget · midgetism · Spridget · midget-esque · midget golf · midgetry · midgety

Hyponyms

lilliputian (a small person) · pygmy (a small person) · homunculus (a small person) · manikin (a small person)

Synonyms

shortie//shorty · munchkin · munchkin · elf · titch · short-ass//short-arse · dwarf · dwarf

Translations (102)

mk кепец (derogatory: any short person) · la nana (derogatory: any short person) · cs mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · nl dwerg (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fr nain (derogatory: any short person) · it nana (derogatory: any short person) · ru короты́шка (derogatory: any short person) · fi kääpiö (derogatory: any short person) · pt anã (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · es enano (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fi kääpiö- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · ru ка́рлица (derogatory: any short person) · de Mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · cs zakrslík (derogatory: any short person) · de Liliputanerin (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · sq shkurtabiq (derogatory: any short person) · de Zwerg- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · la nanus (derogatory: any short person) · bg джудже (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · mn одой хүн (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fi kääpiö (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · de Gnom (derogatory: any short person) · ru ка́рлик (derogatory: any short person) · pl kurdupel (derogatory: any short person) · sq shkurtaq (derogatory: any short person) · pl karzeł (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · it mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · da mandsling (derogatory: any short person) · yi קאַרליק (derogatory: any short person) · sv dvärg (derogatory: any short person) · eu nano (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · vi chú lùn (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · bo མིའུ་ཐུང (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · da mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · ru лилипу́тка (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · pt anão (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · lo ຄົນແຈ້ (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · mk кепец (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · pt mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · mk џуџе (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fr nabot (derogatory: any short person) · pl liliput (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · sk trpaslík (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · th คนแคระ (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · nl dwerg- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · de mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · de Zwergin (derogatory: any short person) · bcl mungan (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · eu epotx (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fr nain (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · nl dwerg (derogatory: any short person) · mi whena (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · th คนเล็ก (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · sv dvärg- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · vi rất nhỏ (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · es retaco (derogatory: any short person) · fi skäfä (derogatory: any short person) · cs malý (attributively: that is the small version of something) · cmn 侏儒 (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · it nano (derogatory: any short person) · pt anão (derogatory: any short person) · az cırtdan (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · gl rebolo (derogatory: any short person) · ja ちび (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fr naine (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · tl pandak (derogatory: any short person) · nl mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · ru гном (derogatory: any short person) · da gnom (derogatory: any short person) · de Zwerg (derogatory: any short person) · bg дребосък (derogatory: any short person) · es chichón de piso (derogatory: any short person) · pl liliputka (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · ja 小人 (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · mi whito (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · it nano (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · it nana (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · cs maličký (attributively: that is the small version of something) · sv dvärg (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · de Winzling (derogatory: any short person) · mk џуџе (derogatory: any short person) · ka ჯუჯა (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · la salapūtium (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · ru лилипу́т (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · pl karlica (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · da dværg (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · bo མི་ཆུང (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · ja ミゼット (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · da dværg- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · my ပုတို (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · tl unano (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · ar قَزَم (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · hy թզուկ (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · ga cnádaí (derogatory: any short person) · de Liliputaner (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · cs trpaslík (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · fr naine (derogatory: any short person) · sq shkurtalaq (derogatory: any short person) · sv mini- (attributively: that is the small version of something) · de Zwerg (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · mi whē (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10") · de Zwergin (person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10")