elf

[ elf ]

/ ɛlf /

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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.

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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, adjective

Words nearby elf

eleventh chord, eleventh cranial nerve, eleventh hour, elevon, Elevsís, elf, El Faiyum, El Fasher, elf-cup, El Ferrol, elfin

Other definitions for elf (2 of 2)

ELF

or elf

abbreviation Radio.

extremely low frequency.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use elf in a sentence

And there are no particular elf characters––you just have this one guy.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Inside the “Love” window Elphresh the contortionist elf dances in from of a gold boom-box and 9-foot chrome mushrooms.
The Incredible Art of Christmas Windows|Barbara Ragghianti|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
Ex-sexy elf Orlando Bloom, without even putting on his Legolas weave, turns Justin Bieber-punching everyman.
An Unlikely Hero Blooms in Ibiza: Orlando Bloom Sort of Punches Justin Bieber|Amy Zimmerman|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the end of the day, Bloom emerges as an unlikely hero: former sexy elf turned Justin Bieber-punching everyman.
An Unlikely Hero Blooms in Ibiza: Orlando Bloom Sort of Punches Justin Bieber|Amy Zimmerman|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
U was an Usurer, a miserable elf; V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
One day, an Indian boy was playing beside a stream, when one of the little elf men came along in his canoe.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
There sat the little elf man, swinging on the tip of a branch, and throwing nuts and twigs at him.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
And we left our nervous ogre and our poor little elf to fight out between themselves whatever battle they had to fight.
Jaffery|William J. Locke
She looked twice the size, and her smooth coat, entirely free from snarls and elf-locks, made her look as fat as a seal.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur

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, 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