runt  (r ŭnt)
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n. 1. An undersized animal, especially the smallest animal of a litter. 2. Derogatory A short person.
[Early Modern English runt, small ox or cow fattened for slaughter, from Dutch rund, head of cattle, from Middle Dutch runt, head of cattle, ox; see ker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots. Perhaps also influenced in meaning by Early Modern English runt, old tree stump, of unknown origin.]
runti·ness n. runty adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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