Dictionary

munchkin en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmʌnʃkɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• mŭnshʹkĭn (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmʌnt͡ʃkɪn/ (US)

Etymology

Coined by American author L. Frank Baum in 1900 in his novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Perhaps reflective of German Mensch or munch + -kin. Compare Low German Menschken and Low German Minschken. Sense 5 (“donut hole”) is a genericization of the Dunkin' trademark "Munchkins".

Meanings

1. (informal) A child.
   • Picture this: your child begins his first day of group childcare, and he is suddenly surrounded by other munchkins his age […] 2006, Michelle LaRowe, Nanny to the Rescue!: Straight Talk & Super Tips for Parenting in the Early Years, Thomas Nelson, published 2006, →ISBN, page 124:
2. (informal) A person of very short stature.
   • It'll also have a keyboard configured for a munchkin (...) 2009 August 25, Jonathan Salem Baskin, “Will Nokia's Next Chapter Be Kitchen Blenders?”, in InformationWeek's Digital Life Weblog:
3. (alt-of) Alternative letter-case form of Munchkin (“domestic cat breed”).
   alt of Munchkin
4. (qualifier:roleplaying games) A player who mainly concentrates on increasing their character's power and capabilities.
   • You ARE a munchkin if .. you roll 4d6 and keep *all four* 1997 January 31, Bill Wilson via Wildwood, “For those who are new... The Munchkin File!”, in rec.games.frp.dnd (Usenet):
   • younger gamers of a power-oriented mindset .. an immature power-gamer who has +10 Swords of Slay Anything for wallpaper. It derives from those Oz denizines, Munchkins, to young gamers who often go in for hack'n'slash Monty Hauls, to anyone who seems more concerned with Winning (usually by killing anything that stands in his path) than with playing a game with other people. 1995 June 14, Phil Masters, Elizabeth McCoy, “What does the term 'munchkin' refer to?”, in rec.games.frp.gurps (Usenet):
   • Doesn't anybody recognize humor anymore, or have our faces gone completely stiff from thinking about good vs. evil or character balance or munchkin-zapping? 1989 October 5, Hwang Tsong-Wen, “Bandwidth Wasters Hall of Fame for rec.games.frp”, in rec.games.frp (Usenet):
   • Munchkinism is similar to "Monty Haul" gaming; however it involves playing at incredible power levels purely for the sake of watching the terrain get blown away by player characters who are unstoppable. Munchkinism also involves "rules rape," wherein players milk every advantage out of the rules. Often a munchkin will carry a favorite character from game to game, usually with the maximum allowable ability scores, skill ratings, etc - and enough hardware/magic to destroy the planet four times over. 1993 February 22, Magnus, “What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with roleplaying games?”, in news.answers (Usenet):
   • There are many different answers, but here's mine: A munchkin is someone who's chiefly concerned with "playing to win" - which might be quite appropriate in a game of checkers, but can be very annoying in a roleplaying game. 2001 March 7, "Caldera OpenLinux User", “Re: what's a munchkin ?”, in alt.games.baldurs-gate (Usenet):
5. (informal, slang) Synonym of donut hole (“ball-shaped pastry”).
6. (informal) A pet name one used for someone considered adorable, such as a pet, child, or a romantic partner.

Forms

Deriveds

munchkinism

Synonyms

lilliputian (small person) · tiddler (small person) · pygmy (small person) · donut hole · dwarf (small person)

Translations (9)

ru ка́рлик (person of very short stature) · pt tampinha (person of very short stature) · pl basałyk (child) · ru карапу́з (child) · ru ма́нчкин (player who mainly concentrates solely on increasing their character's power and capabilities) · es pitufo (child) · ru ребёнок (child) · es monicaco (child) · es mico (child)