Folklore and Mythology

The Oxford Dictionary of... The Oxford Pocket Dictionary... A Dictionary of Celtic... The Columbia Encyclopedia,... Further reading

gnome

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

gnome a legendary dwarfish creature supposed to guard the earth's treasures underground; now popularly represented in a small garden ornament in the form of a bearded man with a pointed hat.

The word is recorded from the mid 17th century, and comes via French from modern Latin gnomus, a word used by Paracelsus as a synonym of Pygmaeus, denoting a mythical race of very small people said to inhabit parts of Ethiopia and India.
gnomes of Zurich an informal term for Swiss financiers, regarded as having a sinister influence; the phrase was popularized by the British Labour statesman Harold Wilson (1916–95).

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "gnome." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "gnome." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-gnome.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "gnome." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-gnome.html

Learn more about citation styles

gnome

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

gnome¹ / nōm/ • n. a legendary dwarfish creature supposed to guard the earth's treasures underground. ∎ inf. a small ugly person. ∎ inf. a person regarded as having secret or sinister influence, esp. in financial matters: the gnomes of Zurich. ∎ (also garden gnome) a small garden ornament in the form of a bearded man with a pointed hat. DERIVATIVES: gnom·ish adj. gnome² • n. a short statement encapsulating a general truth; a maxim.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"gnome." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"gnome." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-gnome.html

"gnome." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-gnome.html

Learn more about citation styles

gnome

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | | Copyright

gnome [L gnomus]. This fabled race of treasure-guarding dwarfs, a concept coined by Paracelsus (16th cent.), has few counterparts in Celtic tradition, only the knocker of Cornwall and the goric of Brittany. International folk motif: F456.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JAMES MacKILLOP. "gnome." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "gnome." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-gnome.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "gnome." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-gnome.html

Learn more about citation styles

gnome

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

gnome , in folklore, tiny subterranean creature associated with mines and quarries. Usually represented as misshapen, frequently as hunchbacked, gnomes are said to be guardians of hidden treasures.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"gnome." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"gnome." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-gnome.html

"gnome." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-gnome.html

Learn more about citation styles

gnome

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

gnome •brome, chrome, comb, Crome, dome, foam, gnome, holm, Holme, hom, home, Jerome, loam, Nome, ohm, om, roam, Rome, tome •Guillaume • biome • Beerbohm •radome • astrodome • Styrofoam •megohm • Stockholm • Bornholm •motorhome • backcomb • honeycomb •cockscomb, coxcomb •toothcomb • genome • gastronome •metronome • syndrome • palindrome •polychrome • Nichrome •monochrome • velodrome •hippodrome • aerodrome •cyclostome • rhizome

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"gnome." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"gnome." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-gnome.html

"gnome." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-gnome.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Roaming gnomes in the news again.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS) Newspaper article from: The Christian Science Monitor; 1/30/2004
	Gnome is where the heart is . . AS THE PRICE OF GARDEN GNOMES ROCKETS, THE... Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 2/13/1996
	GNOME 3.0 UNVEILS MOST SIGNIFICANT REDESIGN IN NINE YEARS. Newspaper article from: UNIX Update; 5/1/2011