hobbit

[ hob-it ]

noun

1. a member of a race of imaginary creatures related to and resembling humans, living in underground holes and characterized by their good nature, diminutive size, and hairy feet.
2. a nickname for Homo floresiensis.

hobbit

/ ˈhɒbɪt /

noun

1. one of an imaginary race of half-size people living in holes
2. a nickname used for a very small type of primitive human, Homo floresiensis , following the discovery of remains of eight such people on the Island of Flores, Indonesia, in 2004

Derived Forms

• ˈhobbitry, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobbit¹

1937; coined by J. R. R. Tolkien in his fantasy novel “The Hobbit”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobbit¹

C20: coined by J. R. R. Tolkien , with the meaning ``hole-builder''

Example Sentences

Jehovah's Witnesses reject homosexuality and Evans - the Welsh actor whose films include Beauty and the Beast, The Hobbit, and Fast & Furious 6 - understood he would be expelled from the community if he came out, with implications for his family too.

From BBC

He subsequently played a villain in the “Fast & the Furious” franchise, Aramis in “The Three Musketeers,” a dragon slayer in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies, Vlad the vampire in “Dracula Untold” and the vainglorious Gaston in Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sharing the name of a legendary dwarf in J. R. R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novel "The Hobbit," a Neanderthal now known as Thorin wandered the Earth up to 42,000 years ago.

From Salon

“Thorin in the Hobbit is one of the last dwarf kings under the mountain and the last of its lineage. Thorin the Neanderthal is also an end of lineage. An end of a way to be human,” Slimak explained to IFLScience.

From Salon

Sir Ian played Gandalf in the first three films and The Hobbit trilogy, all directed by New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson.

From BBC