dwarf

[ dwawrf ]

/ dwɔrf /

noun, plural dwarfs, dwarves.

a person of abnormally small stature owing to a pathological condition, especially one suffering from cretinism or some other disease that produces disproportion or deformation of features and limbs.

an animal or plant much smaller than the average of its kind or species.

(in folklore) a being in the form of a small, often misshapen and ugly, man, usually having magic powers.

Astronomy. dwarf star.

adjective

of unusually small stature or size; diminutive.

verb (used with object)

to cause to appear or seem small in size, extent, character, etc., as by being much larger or better: He dwarfed all his rivals in athletic ability.

to make dwarf or dwarfish; prevent the due development of.

verb (used without object)

to become stunted or smaller.

Nearby words

dw, dwaal, dwale, dwam, dwang, dwarf, dwarf banana, dwarf bean, dwarf chestnut, dwarf cornel, dwarf crested iris

Origin of dwarf

before 900; Middle English dwerf, Old English dweorh; replacing Middle English dwerg, Old English dweorg; cognate with Old High German twerg, Old Norse dvergr

SYNONYMS FOR dwarf

2 runt, miniature.

ANTONYMS FOR dwarf

1, 5 giant.

Related forms

dwarf·like, adjectivedwarf·ness, nounun·dwarfed, adjective

Synonym study

1. Dwarf, midget, pygmy are terms for a very small person. A dwarf is someone checked in growth or stunted, or in some way not normally formed. A midget (not in technical use) is someone perfect in form and normal in function, but diminutive. A Pygmy is properly a member of one of certain small-sized peoples of Africa and Asia, but the word is often used imprecisely to mean dwarf or midget. Dwarf is a term often used to describe very small plants. Pygmy is used to describe very small animals.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dwarfness

These last combine the erect bush-like habit of growth with the dwarfness of the Cupid.
Abstracts of Papers Read at the First International Eugenics Congress|Various
A given gamete could carry tallness or dwarfness, but not both.
Mendelism|Reginald Crundall Punnett
Dwarfness and Weakness are indirect and negative factors therein.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction|Arabella Kenealy
There are plants that are dwarf and can transmit only Dwarfness to offspring.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction|Arabella Kenealy

Tallness, being an impulse toward extension, can never be Dwarfness, which is an impulse toward contraction.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction|Arabella Kenealy

British Dictionary definitions for dwarfness

dwarf

/ (dwɔːf) /

noun plural dwarfs or dwarves (dwɔːvz)

an abnormally undersized person, esp one with a large head and short arms and legsCompare midget

an animal or plant much below the average height for the species
(as modifier)a dwarf tree

(in folklore) a small ugly manlike creature, often possessing magical powers

astronomy short for dwarf star

verb

to become or cause to become comparatively small in size, importance, etc

(tr) to stunt the growth of

Derived Forms

dwarfish, adjectivedwarfishly, adverbdwarfishness, noun

Word Origin for dwarf

Old English dweorg; related to Old Norse dvergr, Old High German twerc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for dwarfness

dwarf

[ dwôrf ]

n. pl. dwarfs

An abnormally small person, often having limbs and features not properly proportioned or formed.

Science definitions for dwarfness

dwarf

[ dwôrf ]

An abnormally small person, often having limbs and features atypically proportioned or formed.

An atypically small animal or plant.

A dwarf star or dwarf galaxy.