Runty

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Being smaller or less robust than the typical size observed in a species creates a perception of inadequacy or frailty
2. Smaller and less developed than others of the same kind, often appearing fragile or weak
3. Having a diminished size and strength compared to the normal for the group, looking delicate or undersized

Etymology: "Runty" is simply "runt" with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added, and the suffix is the part that does most of the work of explaining the word's shape. The noun "runt" is the older of the two and traces back through a long chain: it descends from Old English and earlier Germanic forms, and the Proto-Indo-European root behind it is reconstructed as "*-kos," a sign of how deep the word's roots run even though the modern form looks plain. The "-y" that turns "runt" into "runty" comes from Old English "-iġ," which passed through Middle English as "-y" and remained in use as an ordinary way to make adjectives meaning "having the quality of" or "characterised by." So a runty animal or person is, in effect, one that has the qualities of a runt: small, stunted, and smaller than its companions in the same litter or group.

Synonyms: small, petite, diminutive

Antonyms: large, gigantic