runt

[ ruhnt ]
See synonyms for: runtruntish on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an animal that is small or stunted as compared with others of its kind.

  2. the smallest or weakest of a litter, especially of piglets or puppies.

  1. a person who is petty and contemptible: That runt causes most of the trouble at the meetings.

  2. British Dialect.

    • an old or decayed tree stump.

    • an old cow or ox.

    • an ugly old woman; hag.

Origin of runt

1
First recorded in 1540–50; of uncertain origin, perhaps from Dutch rund “bull, cow, ox”; akin to German Rind “cattle”

Other words from runt

  • runtish, adjective
  • runt·ish·ly, adverb
  • runt·ish·ness, noun

Words Nearby runt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use runt in a sentence

  • She had betrayed such a liking for him that the miserable runt of a Little Willie had been jealous.

    What Will People Say? | Rupert Hughes
  • That troop has a miserable runt of a fice, and he's smart the same as such pups often are.

    John Ermine of the Yellowstone | Frederic Remington

British Dictionary definitions for runt

runt

/ (rʌnt) /


noun
  1. the smallest and weakest young animal in a litter, esp the smallest piglet in a litter

  2. derogatory an undersized or inferior person

  1. a large pigeon, originally bred for eating

Origin of runt

1
C16: origin unknown

Derived forms of runt

  • runtish, adjective
  • runty, adjective
  • runtiness, noun

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