The little finger, often called the pinky in American English

American English

American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....

, pinkie in Scottish English

Scottish English

Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....

 (from the Dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

 word pink, and ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European

Proto-Indo-European language

The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...

 , "five", "finger"), or small finger in medicine, is the most ulnar and usually smallest finger

Finger

A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....

 of the human hand

Hand

A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...

, opposite the thumb

Thumb

The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...

, next to the ring finger

Ring finger

The ring finger is the fourth digit of the human hand, and the second most ulnar finger, located between the middle finger and the little finger. It is also called digitus medicinalis, the fourth finger, digitus annularis, digitus quartus, or digitus IV in anatomy.- Etymology :According to László A...

.

Muscles

There are four muscles that control the little finger:
Three intrinsic muscles comprising a group called the hypothenar eminence

Hypothenar eminence

Hypothenar refers to a group of three muscles of the palm that control the motion of the little finger.The three muscles are:* Abductor digiti minimi* Flexor digiti minimi brevis* Opponens digiti minimi-Muscles:...

, and one extrinsic, the extensor digiti minimi:

• hypothenar eminence
  • Opponens digiti minimi muscle
    Opponens digiti minimi muscle
    The opponens digiti minimi is a muscle in the hand. It is of a triangular form, and placed immediately beneath the palmaris brevis, abductor minimi digiti, and flexor brevis minimi digiti...
    
    
  • Abductor minimi digiti muscle (adduction
    Adduction
    Adduction is a movement which brings a part of the anatomy closer to the middle sagittal plane of the body. It is opposed to abduction.-Upper limb:* of arm at shoulder ** Subscapularis** Teres major** Pectoralis major** Infraspinatus...
    
     from third palmar interossei
    Palmar interossei muscles
    The palmar interossei are small muscles in the hand that lie on the anterior aspect of the metacarpals. They are smaller than the dorsal interossei of the hand, which lie between the metacarpals.-Structure:...
    
    )
  • Flexor digiti minimi brevis
    Flexor digiti minimi brevis (hand)
    For the muscle of the foot, see Flexor digiti quinti brevis muscle The flexor digiti minimi brevis is a muscle in the hand that flexes the little finger...
    
     (the "longus" is absent in most humans)
• Extensor digiti minimi muscle
  Extensor digiti minimi muscle
  The extensor minimi digiti is a slender muscle of the forearm, placed on the ulnar side of the Extensor digitorum communis, with which it is generally connected....
  
  
• Fourth lumbrical muscle
  Lumbricals of the hand
  The lumbricals are intrinsic muscles of the hand that flex the metacarpophalangeal joints and extend the interphalangeal joints.-Structure:There are four of these small, worm-like muscles on each hand. These muscles are unusual in that they do not attach to bone...