Etymology of the English word pygmy
the English word
pygmyderived from the Latin word
Pygmaeiderived from the Greek word
Pugmaioiderived from the Greek word
pugme, πυγμή (the clenched hand; with the fist (hard scrubbing); the clenched hand; (only in dative case as adverb) with the fist (hard scrubbing))
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*peuk-Date
The earliest known usage of pygmy in English dates from the 14th century.
Cognates
Dutch
pygmee, French
pygmée, German
Pygmäe, Norwegian
pygmé, Romanian
pigmeu, Swedish
pygméUsage
Word found in Modern English
