This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
elf
[ elf ]
/ ɛlf /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural elves [elvz]. /ɛlvz/.
(in folklore) one of a class of preternatural beings, especially from mountainous regions, with magical powers, given to capricious and often mischievous interference in human affairs, and usually imagined to be a diminutive being in human form; sprite; fairy.
a diminutive person, especially a child.
a mischievous person, especially a child.
QUIZ
TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS
Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”
Question 1 of 7
What does "dignity" mean?
Origin of elf
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, from Old English ælf, elf, ylf, akin to Old High German alp “incubus” (Middle High German alp , German Alp “nightmare”), Old Norse álfr, Danish alf “elf” ælfen; see elfin
synonym study for elf
1. See fairy.
OTHER WORDS FROM elf
elflike, adjectiveWords nearby elf
Other definitions for elf (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use elf in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for elf (1 of 2)
elf
/ (ɛlf) /
noun plural elves (ɛlvz)
(in folklore) one of a kind of legendary beings, usually characterized as small, manlike, and mischievous
a mischievous or whimsical child
Derived forms of elf
elflike, adjectiveWord Origin for elf
Old English ælf; related to Old Norse elfr elf, Middle Low German alf incubus, Latin albus white
British Dictionary definitions for elf (2 of 2)
ELF
abbreviation for
extremely low frequency
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