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Gnome - 8 dictionary results
gnome
1
[nohm] 
–noun
| 1. | (in folklore) one of a species of diminutive beings, usually described as shriveled little old men, that inhabit the interior of the earth and act as guardians of its treasures; troll. |
| 2. | an expert in monetary or financial affairs; international banker or financier: the gnomes of Zurich. |
gnome
2 [nohm, noh-mee] –noun
| a short, pithy expression of a general truth; aphorism. |
Origin:
1570–80; < Gk gn
mē judgment, opinion, purpose
1570–80; < Gk gn
mē judgment, opinion, purpose
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To Gnome
| gnome 1 (nōm) n.
[French, from New Latin gnomus.] gnom'ish adj. |
| gnome 2 (nōm) n. A pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; an aphorism. [Greek gnōmē, from gignōskein, to know; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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gnome
"dwarf-like earth-dwelling spirit," 1712, from Fr. gnome, from L. gnomus, used 16c. in a treatise by Paracelsus, who gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to elemental earth beings, possibly from Gk. *genomos "earth-dweller." A less-likely suggestion is that Paracelsus based it on the homonym that means "intelligence" (preserved in gnomic). Popular in children's literature 19c. as a name for red-capped Ger. and Swiss folklore dwarfs. Garden figurines first imported to England late 1860s from Germany.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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gnome
in European folklore, dwarfish, subterranean goblin or earth spirit who guards mines of precious treasures hidden in the earth. He is represented in medieval mythologies as a small, physically deformed (usually hunchbacked) creature resembling a dry, gnarled old man. Gob, the king of the gnome race, ruled with a magic sword and is said to have influenced the melancholic temperament of man.
Learn more about gnome with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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