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elfin
Use
Elfin
in a sentence
elf·in
/
ˈɛl
fɪn
/
Show Spelled
[
el
-fin
]
Show IPA
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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elfin
Relevant Questions
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00:10
Elfin
is always a great word to know.
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a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
elfin
(ˈɛlfɪn)
—
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
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
Cite This Source
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.
Jeff inherited his father's dark,
elfin
good looks and ethereal voice.
Afflicted with some unknown disease, and supposed to have been wounded by an
elfin
arrow.
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Related Words
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munchkin
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Matching Quote
"Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car,
And driven the hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thou not torn the naiad from her flood,
The
elfin
from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?"
-Edgar Allan Poe
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Synonyms
sprightly
devilish
delicate
playful
naughty
impish
slight
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Synonym Game
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