different between midget vs tiny

English

Etymology

Diminutive of midge (from Old English mygg, my?? (“gnat”), from Proto-Germanic *mugj?, from Proto-Indo-European *mus-, *mu-, *mew-; cognate with Dutch mug (“mosquito”) and German Mücke (“midge, gnat”)), using the suffix -et, originally (1865) for a "little sand fly", only around 1869 also a "very small person".

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?d??t

Noun

midget (plural midgets)

1. (originally) A little sandfly.

   Although tiny and just two-winged, midgets can bite you till you itch all over your unprotected skin.

2. (loosely) Any small swarming insect similar to the mosquito; a midge.
3. (sometimes offensive) A normally proportioned person with small stature, usually defined as reaching an adult height less than 4'10". [from later 19th c.]
4. (sometimes offensive) Any short person.
5. (attributively) A small version of something; miniature.

   the midget pony

Usage notes

• Used for an insect, this is a variation on midge that is incorrect but commonly used.
• Use of this word to describe a short person may be considered offensive.

Synonyms

• (person below 4'10"): dwarf (loosely), little person
• (derogatory: any small person): dwarf, short-arse, shortie/shorty, tich/titch, vertically challenged person (humorous)
• (swarming insect): midge
• (miniature): dwarf

Antonyms

• (derogatory: any small person): giant
• (miniature): giant

Hyponyms

• (a small person): manikin, homunculus, pygmy, lilliputian

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “midget”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

English

Alternative forms

• tyny (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English tine, tyne (“very small”) + -y. Perhaps from tine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ta?ni/

• Rhymes: -a?ni

Adjective

tiny (comparative tinier, superlative tiniest)

1. Very small.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:tiny

Antonyms

• huge
• great

Derived terms

• tininess
• tinily

Translations

Noun

tiny (plural tinies)

1. A small child; an infant.
   • 1924, Ford Madox Ford, Some Do Not…, Penguin 2012 (Parade's End), p. 28:

     ‘You know I loved your husband like a brother, and you know I've loved you and Sylvia ever since she was a tiny.’

   • 1982, Young children in China (page 84)

     The lessons we saw have been well suited to the age of the children as regards music, singing and moving (and stories about animals for the tinies and more abstract themes for the older children).

2. Anything very small.

Translations

Anagrams

• tiyn