Dwarfism (Achondroplasie or dwerggroei in Dutch) is a medical or genetic condition for people of short stature. When used outside of a medical context the term is considered offensive. The term dwarf entered the Dutch language in the 14th century, when it had the connotation of monstrous. Satirical portrayals of people of short stature can often be found in (the history of) European art, literature, and film. In 19th- and early 20th-century colonial exhibitions, freak shows, and circuses, dwarfism was seen as a form of being abnormally “other” in very similar ways to the representation of formerly colonized and racialized people. Similar demeaning or insulting terms are “lilliputian” and “pygmy”.