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erlking definition

erl·king (ʉrl′kiŋ′, erl′-)

noun

Gmc. Folklore a spirit who does mischief and evil, esp. to children: originally a literary character

Etymology: partial transl. of Ger erlkönig, lit., alder king, from Herder's poem; a misunderstanding by Herder (1778) of Dan ellerkonge, var. of elverkonge, king of the elves

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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