dwarf

English

Etymology

c. before 900, Middle English dwerf, from Old English dweorh, dweorg, from Proto-Germanic *dwergaz (compare Low German dwarf and dwarg, Dutch dwerg, German Zwerg, Swedish dvärg), from Proto-Indo-European *dhu̯erHgh 'harm' (compare Hittite duwarnai 'he breaks, shatters', Sanskrit dhvárati 'he bends, hurts', dhvarás 'demon'), from *dhu̯er 'to pierce' (compare Lithuanian dũnis 'prick, stitch', Ancient Greek týrkhē 'fork with two prongs', Old Armenian դուր (dur, “tool, gimlet”)).

Pronunciation

• enPR: dwô(r)f, IPA: /dwɔː(r)f/, SAMPA: /dwO:(r)f/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)f

Noun

Nain assis (Seated Dwarf, 19th century), a painting in the style of Spanish artist Francisco Goya

dwarf (plural dwarfs or dwarves)

1. A creature from (especially Scandinavian and other Germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having mystical powers and being skilled at crafts such as woodwork and metalworking. Sometimes pluralized dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.
2. A person with short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with normal adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.
3. An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.
4. (paganism) An underground dwelling nature spirit famed for metalcraft in Heathenry.
5. (astronomy) A star of relatively small size.

Synonyms

• (person) midget, pygmy (imprecise)

Antonyms

• giant
• ettin

Derived terms

term derived from dwarf

dwarf star black dwarf brown dwarf red dwarf white dwarf

dwarfess dwarfify dwarfism dwarfish dwarfling dwarfness

Translations

creature from folklore

Arabic: قزم (ar) (qázam) m. Armenian: թզուկ (hy) (t’zuk) Bulgarian: джудже (bg) n., гном (bg) m. Catalan: nan (ca) m., nano (ca) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 侏儒 (zh) (zhūrú) Czech: trpaslík (cs) m., skřítek (cs) m., pidimužík (cs) m. Danish: dværg (da) c. Dutch: dwerg (nl) m. Finnish: kääpiö (fi) French: nain (fr) m. Old French: nain m. Galician: anano (gl) m. German: Zwerg (de) Greek: νάνος (el) (nános) m.

Hungarian: törpe (hu) Icelandic: dvergur (is) m. Irish: abhac (ga) m. Japanese: ドワーフ (ja) (dowāfu), 小人 (ja) (こびと, kobito), 侏儒 (ja) (しゅじゅ, shuju) Korean: 난쟁이 (ko) (nanjaeng-i) Latin: nānus (la) Luxembourgish: Zwak (lb) Polish: krasnolud (pl) m. (fantasy), karzeł (pl) m. (mythology) Portuguese: anão (pt) m. Russian: карлик (ru) (kárlik) m., карлица (ru) (kárlica) f., гном (ru) (gnom) m. Scots: droich Scottish Gaelic: troich (gd) Swahili: kijeba (sw) Swedish: dvärg (sv) c. Turkish: cüce (tr)

small person

Bulgarian: джудже (bg) n. Catalan: nan (ca) m., nano (ca) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 侏儒 (zh) (zhūrú), 矮子 (zh) (ǎizi), 矮人 (zh) (ǎirén), 矮子 (zh) (ǎizi) Czech: trpaslík (cs) m., skřítek (cs) m., pidimužík (cs) m. Danish: dværg (da) c. Dutch: dwerg (nl) m. Egyptian: nm Esperanto: nano (eo) Finnish: kääpiö (fi) French: nain (fr) m. Georgian: ჯუჯა (ka) (juja) Greek: νάνος (el) (nános) m.

Hungarian: törpe (hu) Icelandic: dvergur (is) m. Italian: nano (it) m. Japanese: 小人 (ja) (こびと, kobito), 矮人 (zh) (わいじん, waijin), (disparagingly) チビ (ja) (chibi) Kurdish: باڵابسته‌ (ku) (balabiste) Macedonian: џуџе (mk) (džúdže) n., кепец (mk) (képec) m. Polish: karzeł (pl) m. Portuguese: anão (pt) m., anã (pt) f. Romanian: pitic (ro) m., prichindel (ro) m. Russian: карлик (ru) (kárlik) m., карлица (ru) (kárlica) f., лилипут (ru) (lilipút) m. Scots: droich Scottish Gaelic: troich (gd) Spanish: enano (es) m. Swedish: dvärg (sv) c. Turkish: cüce (tr)

something much smaller than the usual of its sort

Bulgarian: мъниче (bg) n. Catalan: nan (ca) m., nano (ca) m. Dutch: dwerg(exemplaar, -versie) etc. m. Esperanto: nana (eo)

Finnish: kääpiö (fi) Hungarian: törpe (hu) Russian: карлик (ru) (kárlik) m. Swedish: dvärg (sv) c.

paganism: underground dwelling nature spirit

Catalan: nan (ca) m., nano (ca) m., gnom (ca) m. Dutch: dwerg (nl) m. Finnish: kääpiö (fi)

Russian: гном (ru) (gnom) m. Swedish: vätte (sv) c.

astronomy: relatively small star

Bulgarian: джудже (bg) n. Catalan: nana (ca) f. Czech: trpaslík (cs) m. Dutch: dwergster (nl) m. and f.

Finnish: kääpiö (fi) Russian: карлик (ru) (kárlik) m. Swedish: dvärg (sv) c. Turkish: cüce (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Ancient Greek: νᾶνος m. Arabic: قزم (qazam) Basque: txatxar Serbo-Croatian: patuljak m. Serbo-Croatian: patuljak m. German: Zwerg m., Zwergin f. (1,2,3) Hebrew: גַמָּד m., נַנָּס m. Korean: 난쟁이 (nanjaengi) Low German: (Neddersass'sch, Niedersächsisch) Dwarg m.; Ünnereerdsche/Ünnerierdsche (3) m./f. Norwegian: dverg m.

Novial: nane Portuguese: anão m. Romanian: pitic m. Scottish Gaelic: troich m. Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: патуљак m., патицврк m., кепец m., прцољак m., прцкавац m., човечуљак m. Roman: patuljak m., paticvrk m., kepec m., prcoljak m., prckavac m., čovečuljak m. Slovak: trpaslík m. Slovene: pritlikavec m. Spanish: enano m. Telugu: మరుగుజ్జు (marugujju) (1)

Adjective

dwarf

1. miniature

Translations

miniature

Bulgarian: дребен (bg) Dutch: dwerg- Finnish: kääpiö- (fi) French: nain (fr) German: Zwerg-, zwergenhaft Hebrew: גַמָּדִי (he), נַנָּס (he) Macedonian: џуџест (mk) (džúdžest) m.

Norwegian: dverg- Novial: nanatri Portuguese: nanico Romanian: minuscul (ro) Russian: карликовый (ru) (kárlikovyj) Slovene: pritlikav m., pritlikava f., pritlikavo n. Swedish: compounds with dvärg (sv) c.

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version)
2. (transitive) To make appear (much) smaller, puny, tiny

   The newly-built skyscraper dwarfs all older buildings in the downtown skyline.

3. (transitive) To make appear insignificant

   Bach dwarfs all other composers.

4. (intransitive) To become (much) smaller

Synonyms

• (make much smaller) miniaturize, shrink
• (become much smaller) shrink

Translations

to render smaller, turn into a dwarf

Dutch: miniaturizeren; in een dwerg veranderen Esperanto: plietigi (eo), malgrandigi (eo)

Swedish: förminska (sv), krympa (sv), reducera (sv)

to make appear much smaller

Danish: rage op over; undertrykke Dutch: in het niet doen verzinken Esperanto: plietigi (eo), malgrandigi (eo) Finnish: jättää (fi) varjoonsa (fi) Macedonian: фрла во сенка (mk) (f'rla vo sénka)

Novial: nanifika Portuguese: sobrepujar (pt) Romanian: minimiza (ro) Swedish: förminska (sv), krympa (sv), reducera (sv)

to make appear insignificant

Dutch: in de schaduw stellen

Swedish: förminska (sv), krympa (sv), reducera (sv)

to become (much) smaller

Dutch: verschrompelen Esperanto: plietiĝi (eo), malgrandiĝi (eo)

Swedish: krympa (sv)