In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a population) for populations in which adult men are on average less than 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) tall.

Jan 8, 2025 · Pygmy, in anthropology, member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 59 inches (150 cm) in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed pygmoid. The best-known Pygmy groups and those to whom the term is most commonly applied are the Pygmies of tropical Africa;

African Pygmy" is used for disambiguation from "Asiatic Pygmy", a name applied to the Negrito populations of Southeast Asia. Dembner (1996) reported a universal "disdain for the term 'pygmy ' " among the Pygmy peoples of Central Africa: the term is considered a pejorative, and people prefer to be referred to by the name of their respective ...

The meaning of PYGMY is any of a race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors. How to use pygmy in a sentence.

Feb 5, 2009 · Despite their cultural variety, a new study shows that the pygmies of Western Central Africa descended from an ancestral population that survived intact until 2800 years ago when farmers invaded the pygmies' territory and split them apart. The origins of pygmies have long been a mystery.

In anthropology, a Pygmy is a member of a hunter-gatherer people characterized by short stature. They are found in central Africa as well as parts of southeast Asia. Pygmy tribes maintain their own culture according to their own beliefs, traditions, and languages, despite interaction with neighboring tribes and various colonists.

PYGMY definition: 1. A pygmy animal or bird is one of a type that is smaller than animals or birds of that type…. Learn more.

Apr 26, 2012 · Why the Pygmies of West Africa have such short stature, while neighboring groups don't, has been somewhat of a mystery. Now new research suggests unique changes in the Pygmy's genome have...

Pygmies.org is a website dedicated to the hunter-gatherer peoples living in Central African rainforests, commonly called Pygmies. The main aim of these pages is to provide an introduction to their cultures and to promote their protection, documenting their richness and showing some of the factors that increasingly threaten their survival.

"Pygmy", a term with numerous mythological and ethnographic referents, derives from the Greek word Πυγμαίος (Pygmaîos, via the Latin Pygmaeus), meaning approximately "one cubit high" (slightly less than 50 cm, or 18 inches, the distance from the elbow to the knuckles or fingertips).

First, the prevalent historical use of the single exogenous term “Pygmy” to designate more than twenty human groups from the Congo Basin, de facto suggests that common historical, cultural, and even biological or morphological features are shared by Central African Pygmies.

Pygmy - any member of various peoples having an average height of less than five feet

Mar 8, 2023 · The Pygmies, sometimes called the offspring of Poseidon and Gaia, were a race of dwarf-like creatures, notable for their astonishingly small size. They were said to live at the edge of the world—possibly in Africa, India, or even the far north.

The term 'pygmy' [ˈpɪɡmi] refers to either a member of certain peoples of very short stature in equatorial Africa and parts of Southeast Asia or an unusually small person or thing. It can refer to specific animals like the pygmy chimpanzee or pygmy rabbit, or plants like the pygmy date palm.

Deep in the rainforests of tropical Africa live a small people called Pygmies. Their name is derived from the Greek word pygme, or “fist,” a description that harkens back to the days when a man’s fist was used to indicate a unit of length of 13 1 / 2 inches (34.3 centimeters).

What does the word pygmy mean? There are 11 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word pygmy , two of which are labelled obsolete, and two of which are considered offensive. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

A member of any ethnic group in which the average height of the adult male is less than four feet, eleven inches. There are Pygmy tribes in dense rain-forest areas of central Africa, southern …

PYGMY meaning: 1 : a member of a group of very small people who live in Africa; 2 : a person who is regarded as very weak, stupid, etc.

A member of any of several groups of African or Asian peoples of small stature described in ancient history and legend. A member of a race of dwarfs. A member of any of several modern …

A pygmy is a member of any ethnic group whose average height is significantly shorter than the global average. The term especially refers to indigenous communities found in Central Africa, Asia, and South America.