hobgoblin - Definitions from Dictionary.com

6 results for: hobgoblin

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

hob·gob·lin

Audio Help [hob-gob-lin] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	something causing superstitious fear; a bogy.

2.	a mischievous goblin.

3.	(initial capital letter) Puck (def. 1).

[Origin: 1520–30; hob² + goblin

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
hobgoblin

To learn more about hobgoblin visit Britannica.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Puck

Audio Help [puhk] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	Also called Hobgoblin, Robin Goodfellow. a particularly mischievous sprite in English folklore who appears as a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

2.	(lowercase) a malicious or mischievous demon or spirit; a goblin.

[Origin: bef. 1000; ME pouke, OE pūca; c. ON pūki a mischievous demon

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hob·gob·lin Audio Help (hŏb'gŏb'lĭn) Pronunciation Key
n.

An ugly, mischievous elf or goblin.
An object or a source of fear, dread, or harassment; a bugbear: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hobgoblin

1530, from hob "elf," from Hobbe, a variant of Rob (cf. Hick for Richard, Hodge for Rodger, etc.), short for Robin Goodfellow, elf character in Ger. folklore, + goblin. The original hobbyhorse was a "Tourney Horse," a wooden or basketwork frame worn around the waist and held on with shoulder straps, with a fake tail and horse head attached, so the wearer appears to be riding a horse. These were part of church and civic celebrations at Midsummer and New Year's throughout England.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

hobgoblin
noun
1.	(folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings [syn: goblin]
2.	an object of dread or apprehension; "Germany was always a bugbear for France"; "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson [syn: bugbear]