elfin
Use Elfin in a sentence
fɪn adjective
1.
of or like an elf.
2.
small and charmingly spritely, merry, or mischievous.
noun
3.
an elf.
Origin:
1560–70; alteration of Middle English elven elf, Old English elfen, ælfen nymph, equivalent to ælf elf + -en feminine suffix (cognate with German -in); ælf cognate with German Alp nightmare, puck, Old Norse alfr elf
1560–70; alteration of Middle English elven elf, Old English elfen, ælfen nymph, equivalent to ælf elf + -en feminine suffix (cognate with German -in); ælf cognate with German Alp nightmare, puck, Old Norse alfr elf
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.
Cite This Source
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Link To elfin
00:10
Elfin
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
elfin (ˈɛlfɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | of, relating to, or like an elf or elves |
| 2. | small, delicate, and charming |
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
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
elfin
1596, from elf; first found in Spenser, who may have been thinking of 'elven but the word also is a proper name in the Arthurian romances.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
He smiled his elfin, mischievous smile, his eyes closing.
There, she destroys ornamental statues with elfin shapes.
Some days the stolen cloth reveals what it was made for: a handsome weskit or the jerkin of an elfin sailor.
They wore turbans too, and thereunder peered out their elfin faces at me,-faces with protruding lower-jaws and bright eyes.
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