munchkin

[ muhnch-kin ]

noun

, (often initial capital letter)

1. a small person, especially one who is dwarfish or elfin in appearance.
2. Informal. a child:

   The munchkins enjoyed holding and feeding the animals in the petting zoo.

munchkin

/ ˈmʌntʃkɪn /

noun

1. informal.
   an undersized person or a child, esp an appealing one
2. a breed of medium-sized cat with short legs

Word History and Origins

Origin of munchkin¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of munchkin¹

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

Example Sentences

Few questions fazed the 4’7” woman who Time magazine called the “Munchkin of sex,” who pelted America’s airwaves with anatomically correct dialogue without batting an eye.

From Los Angeles Times

In the podcast, the couple reveal they call each other "munchkin" and Zara has another two-word nickname for Mike in her phone which ends in '"kitten".

From BBC

The munchkin breed—the corgi of cats—is proof that short-legged cats can exist.

From Slate

She has an impeccably timed new drink at Dunkin called the Ice Spice Munchkin drink – named after her fandom, the Munchkins – which is a combination of a frozen latte with Pumpkin Munchkin donuts with whipped cream and caramel drizzle.

From Salon

As flames engulfed his home, Frederick Shaw grabbed Munchkin, one of his five cats, and darted through a cloud of thick smoke gasping for air.

From New York Times