Phrase guide

dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who discovers by building on previous discoveries.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pygmy placed on the shoulders of giants

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of Latin nani, gigantum humeris insidentes.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: des nains sur des épaules de géants — person who discovers by building on previous discoveries
  • German: Zwerg auf den Schultern von Riesen — person who discovers by building on previous discoveries
  • German: Zwerg auf den Schultern von Giganten — person who discovers by building on previous discoveries
  • Japanese: 巨人の肩の上に立つ小人 — person who discovers by building on previous discoveries
  • Latin: nani, gigantum humeris insidentes — person who discovers by building on previous discoveries