How Is a Pygmy Different From a Dwarf or Midget?

The terms midget and dwarf both refer to any adult human being, animal, or plant that is considerably smaller than the ordinary size of its species.

dwarfs in a store

Midgets usually have normal body proportions even though they are small, but dwarfs have abnormal body proportions in the spine or in the arms and legs.

Dwarfism is usually the result of disease, poor nutrition, or defects in the body’s cells causing an underdeveloped skeleton.

The term pygmy can mean anything small, but when it is spelled Pygmy, it refers specifically to any of several races of African or Asiatic dwarfs who are no taller than 4′ to 4′ 8″ in height.

Pygmies are peaceful people.

They live in clans with no chief, each member being equal to the others. Food and possessions belong to everybody, including the sick and elderly.

The shortest human being was a Dutch midget called “Princess Pauline,” who, at age 19, was only 23.2″ tall, or only 3 to 5 inches taller than a newborn baby.