elf

[ elf ]

/ ɛlf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elf ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

eleventh chord, eleventh cranial nerve, eleventh hour, elevon, elevsís, elf, elf owl, elf-cup, elfin, elfin forest, elfinwood

Origin of elf

before 1000; Middle English, back formation from elven, Old English elfen nymph (i.e., female elf), variant of ælfen; see elfin

SYNONYMS FOR elf

1 See fairy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elf ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

elf·like, adjective

Definition for elf (2 of 2)

ELF

extremely low frequency.

Also elf

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

Examples from the Web for elf

The friends were even given military call names - Elf, Bay and Airplane.
Bitter Survivors and Caravans of Coffins from Ukraine’s “Eastern Boiler”|Anna Nemtsova|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew right then: Elf is the ultimate light-hearted Christmas movie.
Elf’s 10th Anniversary: I’m Still Obsessed With This Syrupy Movie|Anna Brand|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Elf is pegged as a Christmas movie, but it hardly feels religious.
Elf’s 10th Anniversary: I’m Still Obsessed With This Syrupy Movie|Anna Brand|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He had customized his new gun by etching in the words “better off this way” and “my ELF weapon.”
Inside the Washington Navy Yard’s Building 197 During Alexis’s Rampage|Michael Daly|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Elvis (n.): A Christmas elf, as misinterpreted by Alana, who in one episode mistakes, “Elvis helps Santa Claus make toys.”
‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’: A Glossary|Kevin Fallon|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The elf was looking at me with a mixture of surprise and pity.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow
There a man had by the ordinary device obtained an elf as a wife; and she bore him a child.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
Daylight found Vera tossing and turning, while Elf was dreaming.
Dorothy Dainty at Glenmore|Amy Brooks
Really, you know it is the Imp and the Elf who are writing this book.
The Child's Book of the Seasons|Arthur Ransome
The affrighted Elf sobbed bitterly, as the greedy saw began with iron tooth to devour the foundations of her dwelling.
Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3)|Thomas Carlyle

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

elflike, adjective

Word 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

elf