See also grandeur.
acromegaly
Medicine. a disease resulting from abnormal activity of the pituitary gland in which bones of the extremities are enlarged.
—acromegalic, adj.
Brobdingnagian
a person of enormous size, as from Brobdingnag in Swift’s
Gulliver’s Travels. Cf. Lilliputian.
decrescence
the process of decreasing in size.
—decrescent, adj.
dwarfism
Medicine. the condition of being dwarfed or a dwarf. Also called
nanism.
exiguity
smallness of size.
—exiguous, adj.
gigantism
Medicine. the condition of abnormally great development in size or stature of the whole body or any of its parts, most often caused by a pituitary disorder.
Cf. nanism.
gigantology
the study of giants.
heterosis
abnormal development, especially increased size, in plants or animals, usually as a result of crossbreeding.
homunculus
1. a small man or midget.
2. formerly, the microcosmic human form believed to be present in spermatozoon.
hypertrophy
excessive growth of tissue or of an organ, independent of and out of proportion to the rest of the body.
Cf. hypoplasia. See also
plants.
—hypertrophic, hypertrophical, adj. —hypertrophous, adj.
hypoplasia
a condition in which tissue or an organ of the body fails to grow to normal size.
Cf. hypertrophy. —hypoplastic, adj.
increscence
the process of increasing in size, or waxing, as the moon.
—increscent, adj.
inordinacy
the quality of being immoderate, disordered, or without restraint or proportion.
— inordinate, adj.
Lilliputian
a diminutive person, about the height of an ink bottle, as from Lilliput in Swift’s
Gulliver’s Travels. Cf. Brobdingnagian.
macromania
a mania for becoming larger.
macrosomatia
the condition of having an abnormally large body.
—macrosomatous, adj.
manikin, mannikin
1. a dwarf, pygmy, or man of small stature.
2. a model of the human body, as used for teaching purposes in art, anatomy, etc. Also
spelled mannequin.
micrography
the study, examination, or description of things that are so small they must be viewed through a microscope.
— micrograph, n. —micrographic, adj.
micromania
a mania for becoming smaller.
monumentalism
the state of having large and grand characteristics.
— monumentallty, n.
nanism
Medicine. the condition of dwarfishness.
Cf. gigantism.
pygmyism
1. the condition of being a pygmy.
2. the behavior attributed to or characteristic of pygmies.
