Adjacent Words

Gnome definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GNOME, n. nome. An imaginary being, supposed by the cabalists, to inhabit the inner parts of the earth, and to be the guardian of mines,quarries. etc.
1. A brief reflection or maxim. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure [syn: gnome, dwarf]
2: a short pithy saying expressing a general truth

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Greek gn?m?, from gign?skein to know — more at know Date: 1577 maxim, aphorism II. noun Etymology: French, from New Latin gnomus Date: 1661 1. an ageless and often deformed dwarf of folklore who lives in the earth and usually guards treasure 2. an elemental being in the theory of Paracelsus that inhabits earth • gnomelike adjective • gnomish adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a a dwarfish legendary creature supposed to guard the earth's treasures underground; a goblin. b a figure of a gnome, esp. as a garden ornament. 2 (esp. in pl.) colloq. a person with sinister influence, esp. financial (gnomes of Zurich). Derivatives: gnomish adj. Etymology: F f. mod.L gnomus (word invented by Paracelsus) 2. n. a maxim; an aphorism. Etymology: Gk gnome opinion f. gignosko know

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gnome Gnome, n. [F. gnome, prob. fr. Gr. gnw`mon one that knows, a guardian, i. e., of the treasures in the inner parts of the earth, or fr. ? intelligence, both fr. gnw^nai, gignw^skein, to know. See Know.] 1. An imaginary being, supposed by the Rosicrucians to inhabit the inner parts of the earth, and to be the guardian of mines, quarries, etc. 2. A dwarf; a goblin; a person of small stature or misshapen features, or of strange appearance. 3. (Zo["o]l.) A small owl (Glaucidium gnoma) of the Western United States. 4. [Gr. ?.] A brief reflection or maxim. --Peacham.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(gnomes) In children's stories, a gnome is an imaginary creature that is like a tiny old man with a beard and pointed hat. In Britain people sometimes have small statues of gnomes in their gardens. N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

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