munchkin

[ muhnch-kin ]

/ ˈmʌntʃ kɪn /

noun (often initial capital letter)

a small person, especially one who is dwarfish or elfin in appearance.

Informal. a child: The munchkins enjoyed holding and feeding the animals in the petting zoo.

Nearby words

munchausen syndrome, munchausen syndrome by proxy, munchausen's syndrome, munchausen's syndrome by proxy, munchies, munchkin, munchy, muncie, munda, mundane, mundane astrology

Origin of munchkin

after the Munchkins, a dwarflike race portrayed in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and other fantasy novels

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for munchkin

She was only 20 when she filmed her role as a member of Munchkin Village.
Meet Ruth Duccini, a Munchkin From ‘The Wizard of Oz’|Ramin Setoodeh|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"I had it touched up a bit by the Munchkin farmer who first made me," answered the Scarecrow, pleasantly.
The Road to Oz|L. Frank Baum
The Scarecrow wrapped himself in the purple robe, took off his old Munchkin hat, and substituted the Imperial headpiece.
The Royal Book of Oz|L. Frank Baum
It had the head of a young man—evidently a Munchkin—with a pleasant face and hair neatly combed.
The Tin Woodman of Oz|L. Frank Baum

There are two roads of yellow bricks through the Munchkin Country, but the one we followed is the best of the two.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz|L. Frank Baum
He wanted new straw to stuff himself with, so he went to the Munchkin Country, where straw is plentiful.
The Road to Oz|L. Frank Baum

British Dictionary definitions for munchkin

munchkin

/ (ˈmʌntʃkɪn) /

noun

informal, mainly US an undersized person or a child, esp an appealing one

a breed of medium-sized cat with short legs

Word Origin for munchkin

C20: from the Munchkins, a dwarfish race of people in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012