Where does “pygmy” come from?
Pygmy derives from Ancient Greek Πυγμαῖος, from Ancient Greek πυγμαῖος, from Ancient Greek πυγμή meaning fist or forearm length, from Proto-Indo-European pewǵ-.
pygmy (English): A member of one of various Ancient Equatorial...
Definitions
- A member of one of various Ancient Equatorial...
Ancestry of “pygmy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Pygmaei | a mythical race of pygmies |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πυγμαῖος | mythical dwarf; a member of a race of dwarves |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -αῖος | Suffix added to nouns or adjectives, forming adjectives: pertaining to, belonging to ("of") |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ῐος | belonging to; of”, “belonging to”, “pertaining to |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |