Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a small, thin or deformed person.

1595		Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet IV i: She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate-stone On the forefinger of an alderman, Drawn with a team of little atomies Athwart men’s noses as they fall asleep.
1608		Dekker Honest Whore Pt 2 (1630) V ii: Attomyes neither shape, nor honour beare.
1681		R. Knox Historical Relation Ceylon 124: Consumed to an atomy, having nothing left but skin to cover his bones [F&H].
1757		Smollett Reprisal I viii: Ravish! — An atomy like that pretend to ravish! No.
1822		(con. early 17C) W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I 59: He was an atomy when he came up from the North, and I am sure he died [...] at twenty stone weight.
1833		H. Smith Gale Middleton 1 25: Fegs! if a chap had nothing else to digest he’d soon be a walking atomy.
1841		W.G. Simms Kinsmen I 167: He was a little, dried up, withered atomy.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 108: A miserable little atomy, more deformed, more diminutive, more mutilated than any beggar in a bowl.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1884		Cornhill Mag. May 478: Scarecrow and atomy, what next will you call me? Yet you want to marry me! [F&H].
1888		S.O. Addy Sheffield Gloss. 7: Atomy, a skeleton.
1957		L. Doyle Ballygullion Bus 254: Some of these nights one of Mrs Fitzgerald’s wee atomies may bite the Colonel’s feet in bed again .
1997		Share Slanguage 7/2: atomy term of contempt.