elf
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elf¹
- /ɛlf/
Sounds like health (th-fronting, h-dropping) · Rhymes with -ɛlf
Where it comes from
From Middle English elf, from Old English ielf, ælf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz. Ultimately probably derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós (“white”). Doublet of alf, awf, and oaf. The modern fantasy literature sense was popularised by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
noun elves · elfs · elve
- A supernatural being or spirit associated with illness, mischief, and harmful or dangerous magical influence; in later Norse sources, sometimes divided into benevolent light elves (inhabiting Álfheimr) and malevolent dark elves. […] if theyr children at any time vvere frowarde and vvanton, they would ſay to them that the Guelfe or the Gibeline came. VVhich vvords novve from them (as many thinge els) be come into our vſage, and for Guelfes and Gibelines, we ſay Elfes & Goblins.
- A small, magical creature similar to a fairy, often mischievous, playful, or occasionally helpful. For there and ſeveral other places About mill dams and green brae faces, Both Elrich, Elfs and Brownies ſtayed, And Green gown’d Farries daunc’d and played; […]
- A member of a race of tall, slender, graceful beings with pointed ears, typically immortal or very long-lived and possessing wisdom and magical abilities. Much of fairy lore clusters around the so-called fairy rings, that is, the green circles in old pastures within which the elfs were supposed to dance at night by the light of the moon.
- Ellipsis of Christmas elf Since you’ve been out, the news arrives The Elfs’ Insurance Company’s gone.
- A very diminutive person; a dwarf.
- Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).
verb elfs · elfing · elfed · elve
- To twist into elflocks (of hair); to mat. My face I'll grime with filth, blanket my loins, elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the sky.
elf²
Where it comes from
Genericized trademark, from the Isuzu Elf family of trucks.
noun elfs · elve
- Any small box truck or delivery truck, regardless of the actual brand. An elf truck fell into a ravine in the Mountain Province town of Bauko on Thursday night, killing a passenger and seriously injuring its driver.
ELF³
- /ɛlf/
Rhymes with -ɛlf
noun
- Acronym of Executable and Linking Format, a common object file format for Unix. In ELF executables, there aren't a whole lot of code caves (such as in the PE format), so you are not likely to be able to shove more than just a meager amount of shellcode into existing code slots […]
- Initialism of extremely low frequency
- Acronym of English as a lingua franca (“English used by non-native speakers”). The consequences of the massive volume of ELF to English taken as a whole, as the aggregate use of the language, is essentially a descriptive issue: what new features of English are emerging and taking hold?
proper noun
- Initialism of Earth Liberation Front, a radical environmentalism group. In the late 1990s, the ELF became notorious for setting fire to symbols of ecological destruction, including timber mills, an S.U.V. dealership and a ski resort.
- Initialism of Elvish Linguistic Fellowship, an organization that studies the invented languages of J. R. R. Tolkien.
- Initialism of Endangered Language Fund, a non-profit organization.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pixie, pixy, gremlin, hob, imp, brownie, leprechaun, goblin, ouphe, fairy, faerie, sprite, peri, feb, toymaker, backyard
Translations
Every language
noun fantasy: magical, typically forest-guarding creature
| Español | elfo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 精靈 /精灵 jīnglíng |
| Português | elfo |
| Français | elfe |
| Italiano | elfo |
| Русский | эльф elʹf |
noun Norse mythology: luminous spirit dwelling in Álfheim
| Español | elfo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 精靈 /精灵 jīnglíng |
| Português | elfo |
| Français | elfe |
| Italiano | elfo |
| Русский | альв alʹv, эльф elʹf |
noun mythical, supernatural being
| Español | elfo, duende |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 엘프 elpeu, 요정 yojeong |
| 日本語 | 妖精 yōsei, エルフ erufu |
| 中文 | 精靈 /精灵 jīnglíng |
| हिन्दी | देव dev, अप्सरा apsarā, एल्फ elph, एल्फ़ elf |
| Kiswahili | kibwengo |
| Português | elfo |
| Français | elfe, lutin, farfadet |
| Deutsch | Elfe, Elf, Elb, Elbe, Alb, Alp |
| Italiano | elfo |
| Ελληνικά | ξωτικό xotikó |
| Română | elf |
| Русский | эльф elʹf |
| العربية | آلْف ʔālf |
| עברית | אלף elf |
Talk about this word "elf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/elf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. elf. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/elf "elf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/elf.Cite this
@misc{elf_2026,
title = {elf},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/elf},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
