noun / adjective / verb
dwarf
Much smaller than usual for its kind.
A dwarf apple tree fits easily in our small backyard.
Etymology
The inherited name for a small humanlike being broadened into a term for unusually small size. It can now describe a reduced-size member of many different kinds.
More examples
- We keep two dwarf rabbits in a roomy enclosure.
- A white dwarf remains after a sunlike star loses its outer layers.
- The mountains dwarf the houses below.
Forms
dwarf · dwarfs · dwarfed · dwarfing
dwarfism noun — A condition that causes unusually short stature.