dwarf

See also: DWARF

Etymology

From Middle English dwergh, dwerw, dwerf, from Old English dweorg, from Proto-West Germanic *dwerg, from Proto-Germanic *dwergaz.

Cognate with Scots dwerch; Old High German twerc (German Zwerg); Old Norse dvergr (Swedish dvärg); Old Frisian dwirg (West Frisian dwerch); Middle Low German dwerch, dwarch, twerg (German Low German Dwarg, Dwarch); Middle Dutch dwerch, dworch (Dutch dwerg).

The Modern English noun has undergone complex phonetic changes. The form dwarf is the regular continuation of Old English dweorg, but the plural dweorgas would have given rise to dwarrows and the oblique stem dweorge- would have led to dwery. These forms are sometimes found as the nominative singular in Middle English texts and in English dialects. A parallel case is that of Old English burg giving burgh, borough, burrow, bury.

Pronunciation

(General American) enPR: dwôrf, IPA^(key): /dwɔɹf/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dwɔːf/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)f

Noun

dwarf (plural dwarfs or dwarves)

(mythology) Any member of a race of beings from (especially Scandinavian and other Germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often as short with long beards, and sometimes as clashing with elves.
Synonym: dwarrow (rare)
- 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 20:
  Nidavellir, which is sometimes called Svartalfheim, where the dwarfs (who are also known as dark elves) live beneath the mountains and build their remarkable creations.
(now sometimes offensive) A person of short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with typical adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.
Synonyms: elf, midget, pygmy (imprecise)

Antonyms: ettin, giant
An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.
Synonym: runt

dwarf tree

dwarf honeysuckle
(astronomy) A dwarf star.

Usage notes

At first, dwarfs was the common plural in English, and dwarves was considered incorrect.^[1] After J. R. R. Tolkien used dwarves in his works, that form became the standard for the plural of the mythological beings. For a non-mythological dwarf (people with dwarfism, small plants, animals, planets, stars, etc.), dwarfs has remained the preferred plural form. The use of dwarf to describe people with dwarfism is currently considered to be offensive by some.

Derived terms

Translations

being from folklore, underground dwelling nature spirit

Afrikaans: dwerg (af)
Albanian: xhuxh (sq) m
Arabic: قَزَم m (qazam)
Armenian: թզուկ (hy) (tʻzuk)
Aromanian: ficiu
Asturian: nanu (ast) m
Azerbaijani: cırtdan
Belarusian: ка́рлік m (kárlik), гном m (hnom)
Breton: korrigan (br) m
Bulgarian: джу́дже (bg) n (džúdže), гном (bg) m (gnom)
Burmese: ပုတို (my) (pu.tui)
Catalan: nan (ca) m, nano (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 矮人 (ai² jan⁴)

Mandarin: 侏儒 (zh) (zhūrú), 矮人 (zh) (ǎirén)
Czech: trpaslík (cs) m, skřítek m, pidimužík (cs) m, permoník m
Danish: dværg c
Dutch: dwerg (nl) m
Esperanto: nano (eo)
Estonian: kääbus
Faroese: dvørgur m
Finnish: kääpiö (fi)
French: nain (fr) m, naine (fr) f
Old French: nain m
Galician: anano (gl) m, nano m
Georgian: ჯუჯა (ka) (ǯuǯa), ცეროდენა (cerodena), ქონდრისკაცი (kondrisḳaci)
German: Zwerg (de) m, Zwergin (de) f
Greek: νάνος (el) m (nános)
Ancient Greek: νᾶνος m (nânos)
Hebrew: גַּמָּד (he) m (gamád)
Hindi: बौना (hi) m (baunā)
Hungarian: törpe (hu)
Icelandic: dvergur (is) m
Ido: nano (io)
Indonesian: kurcaci (id)
Irish: abhac (ga) m
Middle Irish: abacc m
Italian: nano (it) m
Japanese: ドワーフ (ja) (dowāfu), 小人 (ja) (こびと, kobito), 侏儒 (ja) (しゅじゅ, shuju), 矮人 (ja) (わいじん, waijin)
Kazakh: ергежейлі (ergejeilı), қортық (qortyq), тырбық (tyrbyq)
Korean: 난쟁이 (ko) (nanjaeng'i), 왜인(倭人) (ko) (waein), 드베르그 (deubereugeu)
Kyrgyz: эргежээл (ky) (ergejeel), кыдыгый (kıdıgıy), кидик (kidik)
Lao: ຄົນແຈ້ (lo) (khon chǣ)
Latin: nanus m
Latvian: rūķis m
Lithuanian: nykštukas m
Lombard: nan m
Low German: Dwarg (nds) m
Luxembourgish: Zwak
Macedonian: џуџе (mk) n (džudže)
Maltese: nanu m
Middle English: dwergh
North Frisian: Önereersk (Sylt)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: dverg (no) m

Nynorsk: dverg (nn) m
Occitan: nan (oc) m
Old English: dweorg m
Old Norse: dvergr m
Persian: کوتوله (fa) (kutule)
Polish: krasnolud (pl) m (fantasy), karzeł (pl) m (mythology), krasnoludek (pl) m (folklore), skrzat (pl) m
Portuguese: anão (pt) m
Romanian: pitic (ro) m
Russian: ка́рлик (ru) m (kárlik), ка́рлица (ru) f (kárlica), гном (ru) m (gnom)
Scots: droich
Scottish Gaelic: luspardan m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: пату́љак m

Roman: patúljak (sh) m
Slovak: trpaslík (sk) m
Slovene: škrat (sl) m, škratica f, palček m, palčica f
Spanish: enano (es)
Swahili: kijeba
Swedish: dvärg (sv) c
Tajik: пакана (pakana), пастак (pastak), қадпаст (qadpast)
Thai: คนแคระ (kon-krɛ́)
Turkish: cüce (tr)
Ukrainian: ка́рлик (uk) m (kárlyk), гном m (hnom)
Urdu: بَوْنا m (baunā)
Uzbek: pakana (uz), mitti (uz)
Vietnamese: chú lùn
Welsh: pegor m
Yiddish: קאַרליק m (karlik)

small person

Afrikaans: dwerg (af)
Arabic: حَنْدَل m (ḥandal), حِنْتَار m (ḥintār), قَزَم m (qazam), قَزَمَة f (qazama)
Azerbaijani: cırtdan
Breton: korr (br) m
Bulgarian: джу́дже (bg) n (džúdže)
Catalan: nan (ca) m, nano (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 侏儒 (zh) (zhūrú), 矮子 (zh) (ǎizi), 矮人 (zh) (ǎirén)
Classical Nahuatl: tzapa, tzapatōn, tzapatzin
Czech: trpaslík (cs) m, skřítek m, pidimužík (cs) m
Danish: dværg c
Dutch: dwerg (nl) m
Egyptian:

(nmw m),

(dng m)
Esperanto: nano (eo), nanino
Faroese: dvørgur m
Finnish: kääpiö (fi)
French: nain (fr) m, naine (fr) f
Galician: anano (gl) m, recoteno m, sanicouco m, tozo m
Georgian: ჯუჯა (ka) (ǯuǯa), ცეროდენა (cerodena)
German: (slang) Zwerg (de) m, Zwergin (de) f
Greek: νάνος (el) m (nános)
Ancient Greek: νᾶνος m (nânos)
Hebrew: גַמָּד (he) m (gammád), נַנָּס (he) m (nanás)
Hungarian: törpe (hu)
Icelandic: dvergur (is) m
Ido: nano (io)
Italian: nano (it) m, nana (it) f
Japanese: 小人 (ja) (こびと, kobito), 矮人 (ja) (わいじん, waijin), (disparagingly) チビ (chibi)
Khmer: មនុស្សតឿ (mɔnuh tɨə)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: باڵابستە (ballabiste)
Lao: ຄົນແຈ້ (lo) (khon chǣ), ວາມົນ (wā mon)
Latin: nānus m, nana f, pūmiliō (la) m, pūmilus (la) m
Latvian: punduris m
Low German: Dwarg (nds) m
Macedonian: џуџе (mk) n (džudže), кепец m (kepec)
Maltese: nanu m
Maori: pūwhenua, roiroi, whena
Middle English: dwergh
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: одой хүн (odoj xün)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: dverg (no) m

Nynorsk: dverg (nn) m
Persian: کوتوله (fa) (kutule)
Polish: karzeł (pl) m
Portuguese: anão (pt) m, anã f
Romanian: pitic (ro) m, prichindel (ro) m
Russian: ка́рлик (ru) m (kárlik), ка́рлица (ru) f (kárlica), лилипу́т (ru) m (lilipút)
Scots: droich
Scottish Gaelic: troich
Slovak: trpaslík (sk) m
Slovene: škrat (sl) m, palček m, pritlikavec m
Spanish: enano (es) m
Swedish: dvärg (sv) c
Tagalog: himandak
Telugu: గిడ్డ (te) (giḍḍa)
Thai: คนแคระ (kon-krɛ́)
Turkish: cüce (tr)
Ukrainian: ка́рлик (uk) m (kárlyk)
Vietnamese: người lùn
Yiddish: קאַרליק m (karlik)
Yoruba: aràrá

something much smaller than the usual of its sort

Afrikaans: dwerg (af)
Bulgarian: мъни́че (bg) n (mǎníče)
Catalan: nan (ca) m, nano (ca) m
Danish: dværg c
Dutch: dwerg (nl) m
Esperanto: nano (eo)
Finnish: kääpiö (fi)
French: nain (fr) m, naine (fr) f
Galician: anano (gl), recoteno m, sanicouco m, tozo m, zambullo m
German: Zwerg (de) m
Hungarian: törpe (hu)
Ido: nanacho, kurtacho
Latvian: punduris m
Persian: کوتولگی (fa) (kutulegi)
Polish: karzeł (pl) m
Portuguese: anão (pt) m
Russian: ка́рлик (ru) m (kárlik)
Spanish: enano (es) m
Swedish: dvärg (sv) c
Turkish: cüce (tr), minik (tr), ufak (tr)

astronomy: relatively small star

Afrikaans: dwergster (af)
Arabic: قَزَم n (qazam)
Bulgarian: джу́дже (bg) n (džúdže)
Catalan: nana (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 矮星 (zh) (ǎixīng)
Czech: trpaslík (cs) m
Danish: dværg c
Dutch: dwergster m or f, dwerg (nl) m
Esperanto: nano (eo)
Finnish: kääpiö (fi)
French: naine (fr) f
Galician: anana f
German: Zwerg (de) m, Zwergstern (de) m
Greek: νάνος (el) m (nános)
Hebrew: נַנָּס (he) m (nanás)
Italian: nana (it)
Japanese: 矮星 (ja) (わいせい, waisei)
Korean: 왜성(矮星) (ko) (waeseong)
Latin: pumilio (la) m
Latvian: punduris m, pundurzvaigzne f
Persian: کوتوله (fa) (kutule)
Polish: karzeł (pl) m
Portuguese: anã f
Russian: ка́рлик (ru) m (kárlik)
Scottish Gaelic: fo-phlanaid f
Slovene: pritlikavka f
Swedish: dvärg (sv) c
Turkish: cüce (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Basque: ^{(please verify)} txatxar
German: ^{(please verify)} Zwerg (de) m, (1,2,3) ^{(please verify)} Zwergin (de) f
Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} גמד (he) m, ^{(please verify)} ננס (he) m
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 난쟁이 (ko) (nanjaeng'i)
Low German: (Lower Saxony) ^{(please verify)} Dwarg (nds) m, ^{(please verify)} Ünnereerdsche, (3) ^{(please verify)} Ünnerierdsche m or f
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} pitic (ro) m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} пату́љак m, ^{(please verify)} патицврк m, ^{(please verify)} кепец m, ^{(please verify)} прцољак m, ^{(please verify)} прцкавац m, ^{(please verify)} човечуљак m

Roman: ^{(please verify)} patúljak (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} paticvrk (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} kepec (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} prcoljak (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} prckavac m, ^{(please verify)} čovečuljak (sh) m
Slovak: ^{(please verify)} trpaslík (sk) m
Slovene: ^{(please verify)} pritlikavec m
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} enano (es) m
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} మరుగుజ్జు (te) (marugujju) (1)

Adjective

dwarf (comparative dwarfer, superlative dwarfest)

(especially in botany) Miniature.
The specimen is a very dwarf form of the plant.

It is possible to grow the plants as dwarf as one desires.

Translations

miniature

Arabic: قَزَمِيّ m (qazamiyy)
Bulgarian: дребен (dreben)
Czech: trpaslík (cs)
Dutch: dwerg- (nl)
Finnish: kääpiö- (fi)
French: nain (fr), naine (fr)
German: Zwerg-, zwergenhaft (de)
Hebrew: גַמָּדִי (gamadí), נַנָּס (he) (nanás)
Japanese: 矮性 (waisei)
Latin: pūmilus (la)
Macedonian: џуџест m (džudžest)
Norwegian: dverg-
Polish: karłowaty (pl)
Portuguese: nanico
Romanian: minuscul (ro)
Russian: ка́рликовый (ru) (kárlikovyj)
Slovene: pritlikav
Spanish: enano (es)
Swedish: dvärg- (sv)
Thai: แคระ (th) (krɛ́)

Verb

dwarf (third-person singular simple present dwarfs, present participle dwarfing, simple past and past participle dwarfed)

(transitive) To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).
Synonyms: miniaturize, shrink
(transitive) To make appear (much) smaller, puny, tiny; to be much larger than.
The newly-built skyscraper dwarfs all older buildings in the downtown skyline.
- 1960 April, J. P. Wilson, E. N. C. Haywood, “The route through the Peak - Derby to Manchester: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 225:
  The train bursts from Rusher Cutting Tunnel with explosive violence, the engine's exhaust soaring high into the air, but dwarfed by the mighty limestone cliffs on either side.
- 2013 May-June, Kevin Heng, “Why Does Nature Form Exoplanets Easily?”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 184:
  In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter.
(transitive) To make appear insignificant.
Synonyms: eclipse, overshadow, outshadow, outshine, outdo, put to shame, upstage, surpass, outmatch, outstrip

Bach dwarfs all other composers.
(intransitive) To become (much) smaller.
Synonym: shrink
To hinder from growing to the natural size; to make or keep small; to stunt.
- 1710 July 3 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “THURSDAY, June 22, 1710”, in The Spectator, number 98; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
  At present the whole sex is in a manner dwarfed and shrunk - into a race of beauties that seems almost another species
  The spelling has been modernized.
- 1881, John Campbell Shairp, Aspects of Poetry:
  Even the most common moral ideas and affections […] would be stunted and dwarfed, if cut off from a spiritual background.

Derived terms

undwarfed

Translations

to render smaller, turn into a dwarf

Dutch: verdwergen
Esperanto: plietigi, malgrandigi
Finnish: kutistaa (fi)
French: nanifier (fr), naniser (fr), rapetisser (fr)
Russian: уменьшать (ru) impf (umenʹšatʹ)
Swedish: förminska (sv), krympa (sv), reducera (sv)

to make appear much smaller

Danish: rage op over (with respect to height)
Dutch: in het niet doen verzinken
Esperanto: plietigi, malgrandigi
Finnish: jättää varjoonsa
French: écraser (fr)
Macedonian: фр́ла во сенка (fŕla vo senka)
Portuguese: sobrepujar (pt)
Romanian: minimiza (ro)
Swedish: förminska (sv), krympa (sv), reducera (sv)

to make appear insignificant

Dutch: overschaduwen (nl)
Finnish: jättää varjoonsa
French: écraser (fr), éclipser (fr)
German: in den Schatten stellen (de)
Hebrew: גִּמֵּד (he)
Russian: затмевать (ru) impf (zatmevatʹ) (figuratively)

to become (much) smaller

Danish: skrumpe (da), krympe
Dutch: verschrompelen (nl)
Esperanto: plietiĝi, malgrandiĝi
Finnish: kutistua (fi)
French: se nanifier, rapetisser (fr)
German: schrumpfen (de)
Russian: уменьшаться (ru) impf (umenʹšatʹsja)
Swedish: krympa (sv)

to make or keep small

Finnish: typistää (fi)

References

[1]
Peter Smith (1826) An Analytical System of English Grammar; […], Edinburgh: […] Oliver & Boyd, […]; and Geo[rge] B[yrom] Whittaker, London, page 17:
How are the following nouns improperly formed, and what should they be? viz.—Lifes, knifes, dwarves, mischieves—boxs, churchs, dishs, fishs—enemys, flys, skys, spys—louses, mouses, oxes, pennys—arcanums, datums, erratums, phænomenons—bacheloress, benefactoress, governoress—boys books, girls dolls, childs rattle—diligence sake; Jane’s, Margaret’s, and Isabella’s mother; John’s, Peter’s, and Frank’s books.

dwarf

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

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Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

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