different between misget vs midget

English

Etymology

From Middle English misgeten, equivalent to mis- +? get.

Verb

misget (third-person singular simple present misgets, present participle misgetting, simple past misgot, past participle misgotten)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To get wrongly or unlawfully; to procure by unlawful means.

Derived terms

• misgetting
• misgotten

Anagrams

• SIGMET, stigme

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