Thumbelina
Flower-born miniature girl
Thumbelina is a tiny girl in Hans Christian Andersen's 1835 fairy tale, born from a flower and no bigger than a thumb.
The name applies to anyone or anything remarkably small: She was a Thumbelina of a baby, barely five pounds.
The story follows her adventures among creatures her own size—toads, beetles, mice—before she finds a fairy prince. (Lowercase thumbelina sometimes describes any diminutive person or thing.)
Send down the throat
- moleSubterranean insectivore
- toadWarty terrestrial amphibian
- field mouseSmall wild rodent
- beetleHard-winged insect
cockchafer · underground · river · escape · abduction · rescue · suitors · survival
Extremely small in size
- minusculeExtremely small in size
- diminutiveVery small, or nickname form
- petiteSmall and delicate
- microscopicToo small for eyes
Lilliputian · pint-sized · miniature · teensy · wee · pocket-sized · elfin · small
Plant's reproductive organ
- tulipBulbous spring flower
- lily padFloating aquatic leaf
- barleycornCereal kernel, archaic measure
- gardenCultivated plant area
pond · meadow · forest · burrow · nest · seasons · winter · spring
- storybookBook of tales
- fableMoral tale with animals
- DanishOf Denmark
- bedtimeDesignated hour for retiring
enchanted · magic · whimsical · fantastical · morality · tale · folklore · illustrated
Brave female protagonist
- protagonistStory's central figure
- maidenUnmarried young woman
- girlYoung female person
- brideWoman getting married
innocent · gentle · kind · resourceful · patient · beautiful · singing · longing
Uncontaminated quality
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- simplicityLack of complexity
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
trust · gentleness · vulnerability · guilelessness · sweetness · tenderness · youth · uncorrupted
swallow
Send down the throat
- moleSubterranean insectivore
- toadWarty terrestrial amphibian
- field mouseSmall wild rodent
beetle · cockchafer · underground · river · escape · abduction · rescue · suitors · survival · perseverance
tiny
Extremely small in size
- minusculeExtremely small in size
- diminutiveVery small, or nickname form
- petiteSmall and delicate
microscopic · Lilliputian · pint-sized · miniature · teensy · wee · pocket-sized · elfin · small · dainty
flower
Plant's reproductive organ
- tulipBulbous spring flower
- lily padFloating aquatic leaf
- barleycornCereal kernel, archaic measure
garden · pond · meadow · forest · burrow · nest · seasons · winter · spring · sunlight
Hans Christian Andersen
bedtime · enchanted · magic · whimsical · fantastical · morality · tale · folklore · illustrated · children's literature
heroine
Brave female protagonist
- protagonistStory's central figure
- maidenUnmarried young woman
- girlYoung female person
bride · innocent · gentle · kind · resourceful · patient · beautiful · singing · longing · captive
purity
Uncontaminated quality
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- simplicityLack of complexity
virtue · trust · gentleness · vulnerability · guilelessness · sweetness · tenderness · youth · uncorrupted · goodness
- Andersen TalesThe Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Wild Swans, The Nightingale, ugly duckling
- Danish literatureHans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Red Shoes, Kierkegaard
- Don BluthAn American Tail, Anastasia, Rock-a-Doodle, Petrie, Bartok
- Nordic talestrolls, selkies, Hans Christian Andersen, Astrid Lindgren, Moomin
- Fictional CharactersAlice, Oliver Twist, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Bilbo Baggins
- bedtime storiesGoodnight Moon, storybook, fairy tale, lullaby, storytime
thumb, thumbs, thumbnail, thumbed, thumbprint, thumbtack, thumbscrew, thumbless, thumbwheel