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peewee

[pee-wee]Informal.
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adjective
  1. very small; tiny.
  2. insignificant or inconsequential: a player sent to the peewee leagues.
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noun
  1. a person or thing that is unusually small.
  2. an animal that is small for its kind; runt.
  3. Marbles. a small playing marble, often one made of clay rather than glass.
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Origin of peewee

First recorded in 1885–90; rhyming compound based on wee
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for peewee

Historical Examples

  • And if you will not for my sake, then at least do so for the sake of Vipa (Peewee), your youngest daughter!

    The Swedish Fairy Book

    Various

  • "Gee, I'm not scared of girls, that's one thing," Peewee informed them.

    Tom Slade at Black Lake

    Percy Keese Fitzhugh

  • Roy Blakeley heard these words as in a dream, and even Peewee was silent.

    Tom Slade at Black Lake

    Percy Keese Fitzhugh

  • Peewee demanded, regaining his seat after an inglorious tumble.

    Tom Slade at Black Lake

    Percy Keese Fitzhugh

  • To my certain knowledge young Peewee, as they call him, hasn't grown a half an inch in two years.

    Tom Slade at Black Lake

    Percy Keese Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for peewee

peewee

noun
  1. a variant spelling of pewee
  2. a variant (esp Scot) of peewit
  3. Australian another name for magpie lark
  4. Canadian
    1. an age level of 12 to 13 in amateur sport, esp ice hockey
    2. (as modifier)peewee hockey
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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

Word Origin and History for peewee

adj.

1877, "small, tiny, for children," a dialect word, possibly a varied reduplication of wee. Attested earlier (1848) as a noun meaning "a small marble." (Baseball Hall-of-Famer Harold "Peewee" Reese got his nickname because he was a marbles champion before he became a Dodgers shortstop.) As a type of bird (variously applied on different continents) it is attested from 1886, imitative of a bird cry.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper