gnome
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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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
mi noun
a short, pithy expression of a general truth; aphorism.
Origin:
1570–80; < Greek gnṓmē judgment, opinion, purpose
1570–80; < Greek gnṓmē judgment, opinion, purpose
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To Gnome
00:10
Gnome
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
gnome1 (nəʊm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | one of a species of legendary creatures, usually resembling small misshapen old men, said to live in the depths of the earth and guard buried treasure |
| 2. | the statue of a gnome, esp in a garden |
| 3. | a very small or ugly person |
| 4. | facetious, derogatory or an international banker or financier (esp in the phrase gnomes of Zürich) |
| [C18: from French, from New Latin gnomus, coined by Paracelsus, of obscure origin] | |
| 'gnomish1 | |
| —adj | |
| gnome2 (nəʊm) | |
| —n | |
| a short pithy saying or maxim expressing a general truth or principle | |
| [C16: from Greek gnōmē, from gignōskein to know] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
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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Example sentences
For the forest gnome who has everything: a cheese-puff bracelet.
Gnome is truly a bizarre character and the perfect subject for a film.
Thwarted in lust, stewing in rage, the gnome turns to greed and vengeance.
The invisible gnome in my glove compartment has already killed two people.
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