elves

[ elvz ]

/ ɛlvz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elves ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

plural of elf.

Nearby words

elva, elvas, elve, elven, elver, elves, elvin, elvira, elvis, elvish, elvishly

Definition for elves (2 of 3)

elf

[ elf ]

/ ɛlf /

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.

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 formself·like, adjective

Definition for elves (3 of 3)

elve

[ elv ]

/ ɛlv /

noun

an extremely dim, flattened, expanding, reddish glow briefly seen over a thunderstorm, due to electromagnetic pulses from intense lightning.

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

Examples from the Web for elves

So the elves in the Woodland Realm were an obvious [choice].
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The elves send Buddy off on an adventure to big, bad New York City to meet his family and start a new life.
Elf’s 10th Anniversary: I’m Still Obsessed With This Syrupy Movie|Anna Brand|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One episode, for example, centered on a Christmas-themed “celebration,” complete with elves and reindeer.
‘The Man With the 132 Lb. Scrotum’: TLC’s Lowest Show Yet?|Kevin Fallon|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That Santa told tellers he needed the money to “pay his elves.”
Criminal Santas: Grapevine Murders, Bank Robberies, More (Photos)|Josh Dzieza|December 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

When he had finished this task, he cleaned up the house and took possession of all the treasures the elves had left behind them.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol. 2|Charles Dudley Warner
If you take the trouble to inquire, you will find that all this forest is peopled with elves.
Odd Bits of History|Henry W. Wolff
Higher up the stream, where two branches met about a rocky island, elves seemed gathering for a summer revel.
Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag, Vol. 5|Louisa M. Alcott
Is it any wonder that the elves, the fairies, the children came and ministered unto him?
The Golden Road|Frank Waller Allen
The elves of Iceland had a king who was subject to the superior elf-king in Norway.
In Northern Mists (Volume 2 of 2)|Fridtjof Nansen

British Dictionary definitions for elves (1 of 3)

elves

/ (ɛlvz) /

noun

the plural of elf

British Dictionary definitions for elves (2 of 3)

ELF

abbreviation for

extremely low frequency

British Dictionary definitions for elves (3 of 3)

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 Formselflike, adjective

Word Origin for elf

Old English ælf; related to Old Norse elfr elf, Middle Low German alf incubus, Latin albus white

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 elves

elf

"one of a race of powerful supernatural beings in Germanic folklore," Old English elf (Mercian, Kentish), ælf (Northumbrian), ylfe (plural, West Saxon), from Proto-Germanic *albiz (cf. Old Saxon alf, Old Norse alfr, German alp "evil spirit, goblin, incubus"), origin unknown, possibly from PIE *albho- "white." Used figuratively for "mischievous person" from 1550s.

In addition to elf/ælf (masc.), Old English had parallel form *elfen (fem.), the plural of which was *elfenna, -elfen, from Proto-Germanic *albinjo-. Both words survived into Middle English and were active there, the former as elf (with the vowel of the plural), plural elves, the latter as elven, West Midlands dialect alven (plural elvene).

The Germanic elf originally was dwarfish and malicious (cf. Old English ælfadl "nightmare," ælfsogoða "hiccup," thought to be caused by elves); in the Middle Ages they were confused to some degree with faeries; the more noble version begins with Spenser. Nonetheless a popular component in Anglo-Saxon names, many of which survive as modern given names and surnames, cf. Ælfræd "Elf-counsel" (Alfred), Ælfwine "Elf-friend" (Alvin), Ælfric "Elf-ruler" (Eldridge), also women's names such as Ælfflæd "Elf-beauty." Elf Lock hair tangled, especially by Queen Mab, "which it was not fortunate to disentangle" [according to Robert Nares' glossary of Shakespeare] is from 1592.

Science definitions for elves

elve

[ ĕlv ]

An extremely dim, short-lived, expanding disk of reddish light above thunderstorms, believed to be caused by electromagnetic pulses from intense lightning in the lower ionosphere. Elves last less than a second and can be as wide as 500 km (310 mi) in diameter.

Culture definitions for elves

elves

Often small, mischievous creatures thought to have magical powers. Although some elves are friendly to humans, others are spiteful and destructive. Elves have long been a staple of folklore, from Germanic mythology to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, in which the elves speak a special language called Elvish.

elves

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Definition for elves (2 of 3)

elf

noun, plural elves [elvz] /ɛlvz/.

Origin of elf

Definition for elves (3 of 3)

elve

noun

Examples from the Web for elves

British Dictionary definitions for elves (1 of 3)

elves

noun

British Dictionary definitions for elves (2 of 3)

ELF

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for elves (3 of 3)

elf

noun plural elves (ɛlvz)

Word Origin for elf

Word Origin and History for elves

elf

Science definitions for elves

elve

Culture definitions for elves

elves