Munchkin(n.)
1900年,美国作家 L. Frank Baum(1856-1919)在《绿野仙踪》中创造了这个词。他从未解释过这个词的来源。
与它最相似的词可能是 mutchkin,这是一个古老的苏格兰液体容量度量单位,被斯科特使用。(它来自中古荷兰语 mutseken,最初是“小帽子”,来自 mutse “帽子”,早期是 almutse “披肩,兜帽,头饰”,来自拉丁语 amictus “披风,斗篷”,是 amicire “包裹,围绕”的过去分词的名词用法,这是一个由 ambi- “周围”(参见 ambi-)和 iacere “扔”(参见 jet(v.))组成的复合词。)
但是,一些鲍姆学者认为,可能的灵感来自于 Münchner Kindl,这是慕尼黑市(德语 München)的象征名称,或者来自于德语 Männchen,字面意思是“小男人”,与 mannequin 同源。
While she stood looking at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older. ["The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"]
当她站在那里看着奇怪而美丽的景象时,她注意到一群她曾经见过的最奇怪和最美丽的人向她走来。他们不像她一直习惯的成年人那么高大,但他们也不是很小。实际上,他们看起来和多萝西一样高,多萝西是一个年龄适当的孩子,尽管从外表上看,他们比多萝西年长许多年。【《绿野仙踪》】
该词起源时间:1900年