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lilliputian

Etymology and origin of the English word lilliputian

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌlɪlɪˈpjuːʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Lilliput, the island of six-inch-tall people in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726),[2][3][4] with the suffix -ian.[4] Swift left no explanation of the name.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An inhabitant of Lilliput, and, as an adjective, relating to Lilliput (1726).[5][6]

Semantic evolution

Already in 1726 the word was applied to anyone of tiny size, character or mind, and to anything diminutive or petty.[5] It is now often written with a small letter in these general senses.[6][1]

Timeline

  • 1726 – noun and adjective, of Lilliput; tiny; petty.[5][6]
  • 1885 – Lilliputianize, to dwarf.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Very small; diminutive.
  2. Trivial; petty.

Noun

  1. A very small person or being.
  2. A person who is petty or narrow-minded.
  • lilliput
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References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Lilliputian.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/lilliputian. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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