hobbit

[hob-it]

noun

1. a member of a race of imaginary creatures related to and resembling humans, living in underground holes and characterized by their good nature, diminutive size, and hairy feet.

2. a nickname for Homo floresiensis.

hobbit

/ ˈhɒbɪt /

noun

1. one of an imaginary race of half-size people living in holes

2. a nickname used for a very small type of primitive human, Homo floresiensis , following the discovery of remains of eight such people on the Island of Flores, Indonesia, in 2004

Other Word Forms

• hobbitry noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobbit¹

1937; coined by J. R. R. Tolkien in his fantasy novel “The Hobbit”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobbit¹

C20: coined by J. R. R. _Tolkien , with the meaning ``hole-builder''

Example Sentences

But if we adjust the details a bit, that sounds awfully close to Elon Musk’s lazy storybook fantasies about charming hobbit villages protected by “hard men.”

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“The hobbits started talking about, ‘Well, maybe you need a “gand” to help you control your powers.’

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Here, it was pure joy to watch HORA’s actors embrace their inner hobbits, dwarves, wizards, orcs and elves — including one that yodels!

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“In that conflict,” Tolkien concludes, “both sides would have held hobbits in hatred and contempt: they would not long have survived even as slaves.”

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In the months before Christopher Paolini wrote the book that made him a star in young adult fantasy, he built a hobbit hole.

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