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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A small, often mischievous creature considered to have magical powers.
  2. n. A lively, mischievous child.
  3. n. A usually sprightly or mischievous or sometimes spiteful person.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. An imaginary being superstitiously supposed to inhabit unfrequented places, and in various ways to affect mankind; a sprite; a fairy; a goblin. Elves are usually imagined as diminutive tricksy beings in human form, given to capricious interference, either kindly or mischievous, in human affairs.
  2. n. A mischievous or wicked person; a knave; a rogue.
  3. n. A diminutive person; a dwarf; hence, a pet name for a child, especially one who is very sprightly and graceful. Synonyms Sprite, hobgoblin, imp.
  4. To entangle intricately, as the hair.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A mythical, supernatural being resembling but seen as distinct from humans.
  2. n. A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.
  3. n. Any of the magical, humanoid, typically forest-guarding races bearing some similarities to the Norse álfar (through Tolkien's Eldar).

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. An imaginary supernatural being, commonly a little sprite, much like a fairy; a mythological diminutive spirit, supposed to haunt hills and wild places, and generally represented as delighting in mischievous tricks.
  2. n. A very diminutive person; a dwarf.
  3. v. To entangle mischievously, as an elf might do.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
  2. n. below 3 kilohertz

Etymologies

  1. Middle English, from Old English ælf; see albho- in Indo-European roots.

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‘elf’ has been looked up 2104 times, loved by 1 person, added to 36 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 6.