runt

runt
noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1501 1. chiefly Scottish a hardened stalk or stem of a plant 2. an animal unusually small of its kind; especially the smallest of a litter of pigs 3. a person of small stature • runtiness nounruntish adjectiverunty adjective

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • runt — runt; runt·ed; runt·i·ness; runt·ish; se·de·runt; runt·ish·ly; runt·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • Runt — Runt, n. [Written also {rant}.] [Scot. runt an old cow, an old, withered woman, a hardened stem or stalk, the trunk of a tree; cf. D. rund a bullock, an ox or cow, G. rind. Cf. {Rother}, a.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any animal which is unusually small, as… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • runt — [rʌnt] n [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: Perhaps from Dutch rund cow, small ox ] 1.) the smallest and least developed baby animal of a group born at the same time runt of ▪ the runt of the litter 2.) informal a small, unpleasant, or unimportant person …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • runt|y — «RUHN tee», adjective, runt|i|er, runt|i|est. unusually small; undersized; stunted; dwarfish …   Useful english dictionary

  • runt — c.1500, old or decayed tree stump, of unknown origin. Meaning extended to small ox or cow (1540s) and by 1610s to other animals and people. Specific Amer.Eng. sense of smallest of a litter (especially of pigs) is attested from 1841. Some see a… …   Etymology dictionary

  • runt — [runt] n. [< ?] 1. a stunted, undersized, or dwarfish animal, plant, thing, or (usually in a contemptuous sense) person 2. the smallest animal of a litter runtiness n. runty adj. runtier, runtiest …   English World dictionary

  • runt — [ rʌnt ] noun count 1. ) the smallest and weakest animal of a LITTER (=a group born at the same time) 2. ) OFFENSIVE someone who is small or weak …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • runt — • runt, cirka, omkring, ungefär, avrundat …   Svensk synonymlexikon

  • runt — *dwarf, pygmy, midget, manikin, homunculus …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • runt — [n] very small person half pint*, homunculus, Lilliputian, midget, peewee*, punk*, shrimp*; concept 424 …   New thesaurus

  • runt — ► NOUN ▪ a small pig or other animal, especially the smallest in a litter. DERIVATIVES runtish adjective runty adjective. ORIGIN originally in the sense «old or decayed tree stump», later «small ox or cow»: of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

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