GNOME
What does "GNOME" mean?
A small mythical humanoid creature said to live underground and guard the earth's treasures.
Meanings
- A dwarfish legendary being, often a bearded man, dwelling in the earth and tending its riches. In the story, a gnome led the miners to a hidden vein of gold.
- A small statue of such a figure used to decorate gardens. A red-capped gnome stood among the tomato plants. informal
- A short, pithy maxim or aphorism (a separate word from Greek). The essay closed with a gnome about patience. archaic
Did you know?
- The gnome as an earth-dwelling spirit was essentially invented by the alchemist Paracelsus in the 1500s, who classed it among elemental beings tied to the four elements - earth's counterpart to water's undines and air's sylphs.
Word origin
From Modern Latin 'gnomus', coined by the 16th-century alchemist Paracelsus for an earth elemental; the unrelated 'aphorism' sense comes from Greek 'gnōmē', 'thought, judgment'.
Remember it
GNOME starts with a silent G, like the little fellow hiding quietly underground before you spot him.
A little poem
Stone cap, painted grin-
he guards the cabbages all night
and never once blinks.
haiku
What it teaches
The smallest, oddest figure in the garden is often the one keeping watch.
Quick facts
What does GNOME mean?
A small mythical humanoid creature said to live underground and guard the earth's treasures.
Is GNOME a valid word?
Yes — GNOME is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is GNOME?
GNOME has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does GNOME come from?
From Modern Latin 'gnomus', coined by the 16th-century alchemist Paracelsus for an earth elemental; the unrelated 'aphorism' sense comes from Greek 'gnōmē', 'thought, judgment'.
What can GNOME teach us?
The smallest, oddest figure in the garden is often the one keeping watch.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.