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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

gnome.

An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈnəʊ̯m/Received-Pronunciation/ˈnoʊ̯m/General-American/ˈnɔʊ̯m/General-American/ˈnəʉ̯m/Australia, New-Zealand

  1. An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth.

  2. One of a race of imaginary human-like beings, usually depicted as short and typically bearded males, who inhabit the inner parts of the earth and act as guardians of mines, mineral treasure, etc.; in modern fantasy literature and games, when distinguished from dwarves, gnomes are usually smaller than dwarves and more focused on engineering than mining.

  3. A person of a small stature or misshapen features, or of a strange appearance.

    derogatory · informal

  4. The mountain pygmy owl, Glaucidium gnoma, a small owl of the western United States.

  5. A small statue of a dwarf-like character, often bearded, placed in a garden.

  6. An upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, a compact blue starter.

  7. A banker, especially a secretive international one.

    derogatory · often
    the gnomes of Zurich
Where this word comes from

From French gnome (“gnome”), from New Latin gnomus, used by Paracelsus as a synonym for pygmaeus (“pygmy”).

noun/nəʊm//nəʊmi/

  1. A brief reflection or maxim; a pithy saying.

Where this word comes from

From Ancient Greek γνώμη (gnṓmē, “thought, opinion”), from the base of γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “to know”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.