Midget 165707 226015930 2008-07-16T13:27:09Z Epbr123 1395162 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/138.89.132.250|138.89.132.250]] (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{dablink|For the car, see [[MG Midget]] or [[Daihatsu Midget]]. For the band, see [[Midget (band)]].}} '''Midget''' is a term used to describe an exceptionally short person. The terms "midget" and "dwarf" are often used synonymously, as both terms mean someone who has been short in stature since birth, but those terms were not originally synonyms. In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, midget was a [[Medicine|medical]] term referring to an extremely short but normally proportioned person, and was used in contrast to [[Dwarfism|dwarf]], which denoted disproportionate shortness. Like many other older medical terms, as it became part of popular language, it was often used in a [[pejorative]] sense. When applied to a person who is very short, ''midget'' is now often considered offensive, an example of the [[Euphemism#The "Euphemism Treadmill"|euphemism treadmill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arturogil.com/m_word.htm|title=The "M" word|publisher=Arturo Gil and GilArt Designs|accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref> Unusual shortness of stature is caused by an inherited [[gene]] and can be diagnosed at birth by several telltale signs or later when the child is a toddler. The word ''dwarf'' has generally replaced ''midget'' even for proportionally short people, though the term ''[[Dwarfism|little person]]'' is preferred. According to the [[Little People of America]], dwarfism is "a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4&nbsp;[feet] 10&nbsp;[inches] [(147&nbsp;cm)] or shorter, among both men and women, although in some cases a person with a dwarfing condition may be slightly taller than that."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lpaonline.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=44397&orgId=lpa|title=Little People of America FAQ|publisher=Little People of America|accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref> Modern terminology now distinguishes between the two types of dwarfism using the terms proportionate dwarfism, such as [[primordial dwarfism]], and disproportionate dwarfism, such as [[achondroplasia]]. Proportionate dwarfism is often the result of a hormonal deficiency (such as [[growth hormone deficiency]]), and it may be treated medically. ''Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary'' (Merriam-Webster, 1961) defines "midget" in the noun form as "a very diminutive person", and in the adjective form as "like a midget in size; very diminutive", hence its usage as a synonym for "miniature", as with cars. According to the [[Online Etymology Dictionary]], the term "midget" comes from "[[midge]]", meaning a sand fly, and the suffix "-et", meaning little or small.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=midget|title=Online Etymology Dictionary - midget|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|accessdate=2008-04-03}}</ref> ==See also== *[[Dwarfism]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Vocab-stub}}