570: dwarf and pygmy Jun 30, 2016

To call someone a dwarf or a pygmy today would be quite offensive, and although it has never been known as a compliment, the ideas behind the words have changed considerably over time. Through the Renaissance, up until the end of the period in which people spoke late Middle English 'pygmy' was thought of as the race of small people from Greek mythology. These creatures only a foot or so long as well which we see from its origin 'pugmē' meaning ‘the length measured from elbow to knuckles’. 'Dwarf' has its roots in mythology, in this case coming from Nordic mythology, and today each Germanic languages has its own related word such as the Dutch 'dwerg' and German 'Zwerg'. It is not uncommon for words to come from myths since they have meaning to most people and can explain things that are otherwise difficult to put into newer words.