# munchkin

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmʌnʃkɪn/ · frequency rank #42,288

## Definitions
1. A child.
2. A person of very short stature.
3. Alternative letter-case form of Munchkin (“domestic cat breed”).
4. A player who mainly concentrates on increasing their character's power and capabilities.
5. Synonym of donut hole (“ball-shaped pastry”).
6. A pet name one used for someone considered adorable, such as a pet, child, or a romantic partner.

## Etymology
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".

## Easily confused with
- **Manchin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/manchin-vs-munchkin)
- **munching** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/munching-vs-munchkin)

## Common misspellings (13)
`mmunchkin`, `mnuchkin`, `mucnhkin`, `muncchkin`, `munchhkin`, `munchikn`, `munchkinn`, `munchkkin`, `munchkni`, `munckhin`, `munhckin`, `munnchkin`, `umnchkin`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/munchkin