Etymology

munchkin

M3U1N1C3H4K5I1N1

Today it means: A child. Full definition →

German Mensch
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munchkin · noun1

  1. German · derived fromMensch
  2. English todaymunchkin

Coined by American author L. Frank Baum in 1900 in his novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Perhaps reflective of German Mensch or munch + -kin. Compare Low German Menschken and Low German Minschken. Sense 5 (“donut hole”) is a genericization of the Dunkin' trademark "Munchkins".

Munchkin · noun2

From munchkin.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.