Definition of "dwarfism" [dwarfism]

• A pathological condition of arrested growth having various causes. Also called nanism. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He says my dwarfism is a hindrance and that I should concentrate on my skool work."
• "He was born with achondroplasia, the most common condition that results in dwarfism, and was the only member of his family who was not of average height."
• "As it happens, psychogenic dwarfism is a medical condition whose sufferers tend to be extraodinarily small and underdeveloped for their age, a condition brought on by circumstances of extreme abuse and maltreatment."