puny person

См. также в других словарях:

• puny — pu|ny [ˈpju:ni] adj [Date: 1500 1600; : Old French; Origin: puisné younger , from puis afterward + né born ] 1.) a puny person is small, thin, and weak ▪ a puny little guy ▪ puny arms 2.) not effective or impressive puny effort/attempt …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• puny — UK [ˈpjuːnɪ] / US [ˈpjunɪ] adjective Word forms puny : adjective puny comparative punier superlative puniest 1) a puny person or animal is small, thin, and weak 2) poor in quality or amount, and not very effective or impressive their puny efforts …   English dictionary

• puny — pu|ny [ pjuni ] adjective 1. ) a puny person or animal is small, thin, and weak 2. ) poor in quality or amount, and not very effective or impressive: their puny efforts to stop the flooding …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

• puny — [ˈpjuːni] adj a puny person or animal is small, thin, and weak …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

• puny — [ pju:ni] adjective (punier, puniest) 1》 small and weak. 2》 small in amount or size; meagre. Derivatives punily adverb puniness noun Origin C16 (asnoun denoting a younger or more junior person): phonetic spelling of …   English new terms dictionary

• shrimp — shrimplike, adj. /shrimp/, n., pl. shrimps, (esp. collectively) shrimp for 1, v., adj. n. 1. any of several small, long tailed, chiefly marine crustaceans of the decapod suborder Natania, certain species of which are used as food. 2. Informal. a… …   Universalium

• weakling — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. puny person, feeble creature, dotard, coward, crybaby, invertebrate, mollycoddle, milksop, jellyfish*, sissy*, softie*, pushover*, namby pamby*, puff*, punk*. II (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) n. *wimp, milquetoast, *pansy,… …   English dictionary for students

• shrimp — early 14c., kind of slender shellfish, probably from O.N. skreppa thin person, from P.Gmc. *skrempanan (see SCRIMP (Cf. scrimp)). Related to O.E. scrimman to shrink. The connecting notion is probably thinness (Cf. Dan. dialectal skrimpe thin… …   Etymology dictionary

• shrimp — [shrimp] n. pl. shrimps or shrimp [ME schrimpe, shrimp, puny person < base of OE scrimman (akin to obs. Ger schrimpfen, to shrink, dry up) < IE * (s)kremb , to turn, twist, shrink < base * (s)ker , to turn] 1. any of a large number of… …   English World dictionary

• shrimp — I. noun (plural shrimps or shrimp) Etymology: Middle English shrimpe; akin to Middle Low German schrempen to contract, wrinkle, Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up Date: 14th century 1. any of numerous mostly small and marine decapod crustaceans… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

• twerp — noun a) A fool, a twit. Now youve broken it, you twerp! b) A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible. Get out of my way, you little twerp! Syn: twit, git …   Wiktionary