gnome

Meanings

Plural: gnomae, gnomai, gnomes

Noun

• a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure
• a short pithy saying expressing a general truth
• An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth.
• One of a race of imaginary human-like beings, usually depicted as short and typically bearded males, who inhabit the inner parts of the earth and act as guardians of mines, mineral treasure, etc.; in modern fantasy literature and games, when distinguished from dwarves, gnomes are usually smaller than dwarves and more focused on engineering than mining.
• A person of small stature or misshapen features, or of strange appearance.
• The mountain pygmy owl, Glaucidium gnoma, a small owl of the western United States.
• A small statue of a dwarf-like character, often bearded, placed in a garden.
• An upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, a compact blue starter.
• A banker, especially a secretive international one.
• A brief reflection or maxim; a pithy saying.

Synonyms

adage, apothegm, dwarf, maxim, paroemia, proverb, sententia

Related Words

gnomic, gnomide, gnomometry, kobold, salamander, sylph, undine