Winjy

adjective WIN-ji ˈwɪndʒi

Also spelled winjie, winji, winjy-winjy

Small, thin, and puny — undersized and often sickly-looking. A 'winjy' thing is scrawny and weak, whether a runt of a child, a poorly little animal, or a stunted, feeble crop. Close to 'crawny' and 'maga', the word carries a note of pity or slight scorn for something that never grew to a proper size or strength, looking underfed and frail. It is used plainly of anything small and weakly that ought to have come to more.

  • A winjy likkle chicken dem sell mi.

    It's a puny little chicken they sold me.

  • Him did winjy as a pickney but grow big.

    He was scrawny as a child but grew big.

  • Di plant a grow up winjy.

    The plant is growing up puny and weak.

An expressive Jamaican word for something puny and undersized, likely related to English dialect words for shrivelled or weak.

Mildly critical, close to 'crawny' and 'maga' (skinny), stressing smallness and weakness together.