gnome
1 Americannoun
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(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.
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an expert in monetary or financial affairs; international banker or financier.
the gnomes of Zurich.
noun
noun
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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
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the statue of a gnome, esp in a garden
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a very small or ugly person
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facetious an international banker or financier (esp in the phrase gnomes of Zürich )
noun
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- gnomish adjective
Etymology
Origin of gnome1
1705–15; from French from New Latin gnomus, perhaps from Greek gnṓmē; gnome 2
Origin of gnome2
First recorded in 1570–80, gnome is from the Greek word gnṓmē judgment, opinion, purpose
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Glenn was as tall as Charlie, and Little Britches was a gnome between them.
From Literature
A couple have won a legal battle over a tiny strip of grass outside their house, after a neighbour tried to claim it as their own with a garden gnome.
From BBC
After that I walked to the village every day, even though it would be at least a week before a gnome came back with a message.
From Literature
It was a house, just a house, three stories, brick with leaded-glass windows, and a sloping lawn out front with two garden gnomes at the head of a brick walkway.
From Literature
As Madsen of the Los Padres National Forest explained later by phone, they were “created by the trail gnomes” — hikers arranging rocks themselves to adjust water flow and temperature, with no government entities involved.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
