Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Runt"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Runt \Runt\, n. [Written also {rant}.] [Scot. runt an old cow,
an old, withered woman, a hardened stem or stalk, the trunk
of a tree; cf. D. rund a bullock, an ox or cow, G. rind. Cf.
{Rother}, a.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any animal which is unusually small, as
compared with others of its kind; -- applied particularly
to domestic animals.
2. (Zo["o]l.) A variety of domestic pigeon, related to the
barb and carrier.
3. A dwarf; also, a mean, despicable, boorish person; -- used
opprobriously.
Before I buy a bargain of such runts, I'll buy a
college for bears, and live among 'em. --Beau. & Fl.
4. The dead stump of a tree; also, the stem of a plant. [Obs.
or Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.
Neither young poles nor old runts are durable.
--Holland.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
runt
n : disparaging terms for small people [syn: {shrimp}, {peewee},
{half-pint}]
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