gnome

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

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.].

•  An imaginary being, supposed by the Rosicrucians to inhabit the inner parts of the earth, and to be the guardian of mines, quarries, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  A dwarf; a goblin; a person of small stature or misshapen features, or of strange appearance.  [1913 Webster]
•  A small owl (Glaucidium gnoma) of the Western United States.  [1913 Webster]
•  A brief reflection or maxim.  Peacham.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

gnome, 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).

Derivative

gnomish adj.

gnome, n. a maxim; an aphorism.

Etymology

Gk gnome opinion f. gignosko know

DEVIL DICTIONARY

gnome

n. In North-European mythology, a dwarfish imp inhabiting the interior parts of the earth and having special custody of mineral treasures. Bjorsen, who died in 1765, says gnomes were common enough in the southern parts of Sweden in his boyhood, and he frequently saw them scampering on the hills in the evening twilight. Ludwig Binkerhoof saw three as recently as 1792, in the Black Forest, and Sneddeker avers that in 1803 they drove a party of miners out of a Silesian mine. Basing our computations upon data supplied by these statements, we find that the gnomes were probably extinct as early as 1764.

THESAURUS

gnome

Ariel, Befind, Corrigan, Finnbeara, Lilliputian, Mab, Oberon, Titania, Tom Thumb, adage, ana, analects, aphorism, apothegm, axiom, banshee, brocard, brownie, byword, catchword, cluricaune, collected sayings, current saying, dictate, dictum, distich, dwarf, elemental, elemental spirit, elf, epigram, expression, fairy, fairy queen, fay, goblin, golden saying, gremlin, hob, homunculus, imp, kobold, leprechaun, manikin, maxim, midge, midget, moral, mot, motto, oracle, ouphe, peewee, peri, phrase, pip-squeak, pithy saying, pixie, pooka, precept, prescript, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, puca, pwca, pygmy, rule, runt, salamander, saw, saying, sentence, sententious expression, shrimp, sloka, sprite, stock saying, sutra, sylph, sylphid, teaching, text, truism, undine, verse, wart, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, witticism, word, words of wisdom

ROGET THESAURUS

gnome

Demon

N demon, daemon, demonry, demonology, evil genius, fiend, familiar, daeva, devil, bad spirit, unclean spirit, cacodemon, incubus, Eblis, shaitan, succubus, succuba, Frankenstein's monster, Titan, Shedim, Mephistopheles, Asmodeus, Moloch, Belial, Ahriman, fury, harpy, Friar Rush, vampire, ghoul, afreet, barghest, Loki, ogre, ogress, gnome, gin, jinn, imp, deev, lamia, bogie, bogeyman, bogle, nis, kobold, flibbertigibbet, fairy, brownie, pixy, elf, dwarf, urchin, Puck, Robin Goodfellow, leprechaun, Cluricaune, troll, dwerger, sprite, ouphe, bad fairy, nix, nixie, pigwidgeon, will-o'-the wisp, ghost, revenant, specter, apparition, spirit, shade, shadow, vision, hobglobin, goblin, orc, wraith, spook, boggart, banshee, loup-garou, lemures, evil eye, merman, mermaid, merfolk, siren, satyr, faun, manito, manitou, manitu, possession, demonic possession, diabolic possession, insanity, Maxwell's demon, demoniac, demonic, demonical, impish, demoniacal, fiendish, fiend-like, supernatural, weird, uncanny, unearthly, spectral, ghostly, ghost-like, elfin, elvin, elfish, elflike, haunted, pokerish, possessed, possessed by a devil, possessed by a demon, demonically.