gnome

gnome¹ [nəʊm]

noun

1》 a legendary dwarfish creature supposed to guard the earth's treasures underground.

2》 a small garden ornament in the form of a bearded man with a pointed hat.

3》 informal a person having secret or sinister influence in financial matters: the gnomes of Zurich.

Derivatives

gnomish adjective

Origin

C17: from Fr., from mod. L. gnomus, a word used by the 16th-cent. Swiss physician Paracelsus as a synonym of Pygmaeus (see pygmy).

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gnome² [nəʊm, 'nəʊmi]

noun a short statement encapsulating a general truth; a maxim.

Origin

C16: from Gk gnōmē 'thought, opinion'.