elfin

[el-fin]

See more synonyms for elfin on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or like an elf.
small and charmingly spritely, merry, or mischievous.

noun

an elf.

Origin of elfin

1560–70; alteration of Middle English elven elf, Old English elfen, ælfen nymph, equivalent to ælf elf + -en feminine suffix (cognate with German -in); ælf cognate with German Alp nightmare, puck, Old Norse alfr elf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for elfin

Contemporary Examples

Mickey Rooney, the elfin actor who could pull out all the stops on stage and on film, died Sunday in Los Angeles at the age of 93.
Mickey Rooney Was Hollywood’s Golden Age Showman
Lorenza Muñoz
April 7, 2014
Before these famous cartoons went viral, Santa was depicted either as a tall, thin, and less than jolly fellow or an elfin man.
8 Facts You Never Knew About Christmas
Brandy Zadrozny
December 24, 2013

Historical Examples

She forgot that her boy was of elfin as well as of mortal race.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 3, August, 1850.
Various
It beat down the wheat and pattered like elfin bullets on the forest leaves.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston
"I kick for joy," she said, her eyes shining with elfin delight.
A Daughter of the Middle Border
Hamlin Garland
Then arose great revelry and feasting in the castle of the Elfin Queen.
Stories from the Ballads
Mary MacGregor
Why should the elfin's son be worse than the son of the devil himself?
Theodoric the Goth
Thomas Hodgkin

British Dictionary definitions for elfin

elfin

adjective

of, relating to, or like an elf or elves
small, delicate, and charming

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

Word Origin and History for elfin

adj.

1590s, from elf; first found in Spenser, who may have been thinking of elven but the word also is a proper name in the Arthurian romances (Elphin).

elfin

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}elfin

Related Words

Examples from the Web for elfin

Contemporary Examples

Mickey Rooney, the elfin actor who could pull out all the stops on stage and on film, died Sunday in Los Angeles at the age of 93.

Before these famous cartoons went viral, Santa was depicted either as a tall, thin, and less than jolly fellow or an elfin man.

Historical Examples

She forgot that her boy was of elfin as well as of mortal race.

It beat down the wheat and pattered like elfin bullets on the forest leaves.

"I kick for joy," she said, her eyes shining with elfin delight.

Then arose great revelry and feasting in the castle of the Elfin Queen.

Why should the elfin's son be worse than the son of the devil himself?

elfin

Word Origin and History for elfin

adj.

Origin of elfin