gnome
gnome1 definition
gnome (nōm)
noun
Folklore any of a race of small, misshapen, dwarflike beings, supposed to dwell in the earth and guard its treasures
Etymology: Fr < ModL gnomus < Gr gnōmē (see gnome): so called by Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus, prob. from the belief that gnomes had occult knowledge of the earth
Related Forms:
- gnomish gnom′·ish adjective
gnome2 definition
gnome (nōm, nō′mē)
noun
a wise, pithy saying; maxim
Etymology: LL, a sentence, maxim < Gr gnōmē, thought, judgment, intelligence < gignōskein, to know
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