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gnome

 [nohm]   Example Sentences Origin

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.
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Origin:
1705–15; < French < Neo-Latin gnomus, perhaps < Greek gnṓmē; see gnome2

Related forms
gnom·ish, adjective

Synonyms
1. See goblin, sylph.

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Gnome is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Example Sentences
  • Thwarted in lust, stewing in rage, the gnome turns to greed and vengeance.
  • All trusted him completely, regarding this genial gnome as something of a financial genius.
  • Rather than steal the sign, they grabbed a gnome planted next to it.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

gnome

2   [nohm, noh-mee]
noun
a short, pithy expression of a general truth; aphorism.
Origin:
1570–80; < Greek gnṓmē judgment, opinion, purpose
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
gnome1 (nəʊm)
 
—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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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"
EXPAND
(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.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

GNOME definition


GNU Network Object Model Environment

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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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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