Pygmy \Pyg"my\, n.; pl. {Pygmies}. [L. pygmaeus, Gr. ?, fr. ? the fist, a measure of length, the distance from the elbow to the knuckles, about 131 inches. Cf. {Pugnacious}, {Fist}.] [Written also {pigmy}.] 1. (Class. Myth.) One of a fabulous race of dwarfs who waged war with the cranes, and were destroyed. 2. Hence, a short, insignificant person; a dwarf.