gnome
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gnome¹
- /ˈnəʊ̯m/ UK
- /ˈnoʊ̯m/ US
- /ˈnɔʊ̯m/ US
- /ˈnəʉ̯m/ Australia, New Zealand
Sounds like Nome, nome · Rhymes with -əʊm
Where it comes from
From French gnome (“gnome”), from New Latin gnomus, used by Paracelsus as a synonym for pygmaeus (“pygmy”).
noun gnomes
- An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth. He adopts the Rosycrusian fancy of Gnomes, spirits which inhabit the earth, and who by their power form the ores of metals, and all the wonders met with in the inmost recesses of the globe.
- One of a race of imaginary human-like beings, usually depicted as short and typically bearded males, who inhabit the inner parts of the earth and act as guardians of mines, mineral treasure, etc.; in modern fantasy literature and games, when distinguished from dwarves, gnomes are usually smaller than dwarves and more focused on engineering than mining. When the trees were disposed of, the gnomes vanished again.
- A person of a small stature or misshapen features, or of a strange appearance.
- The mountain pygmy owl, Glaucidium gnoma, a small owl of the western United States.
-
A small statue of a dwarf-like character, often bearded, placed in a garden.
There were ornamental ponds and shrubs clipped into animal shapes, painted concrete gnomes sitting on mushrooms, pink flamingos standing on one leg[.]
Similar: garden gnome, lawn gnome
- An upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, a compact blue starter.
- A banker, especially a secretive international one. the gnomes of Zurich
gnome²
- /nəʊm/
- /nəʊmi/
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek γνώμη (gnṓmē, “thought, opinion”), from the base of γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “to know”).
noun gnomae · gnomai · gnomes
-
A brief reflection or maxim; a pithy saying.
1996, Giambattista Vico, Giorgio A. Pinton, Arthur W. Shippee (translators), The Art of Rhetoric, [1711-1741, Giambattista Vico, Institutiones Oratoriae], page 125,
The Greeks in their tongue call this second type of maxim noema. The gnome is more appropriate to the philosophers, and the noema to th
Similar: adage, apothegm, maxim, paroemia, proverb, sententia
GNOME³
- /ɡəˈnəʊm/ UK
- /ɡəˈnoʊm/ US
- /nəʊm/ UK, common
- /noʊm/ US, common
Sounds like gnome · Rhymes with -əʊm
Where it comes from
Originally an acronym of GNU Network Object Model Environment, but this meaning is now officially deprecated.
proper noun
- An open-source, free software computer desktop environment for Unix operating systems.
verb GNOME's · GNOME'ing · GNOME'ed
- To unintentionally boot a GNOME desktop environment. This new package got my system GNOME'd.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: dwarf, troll, midget, rhone, apothegm, apophthegm, sentence, epigram, minim, parody, aphorism, poemet, grook, epiphoneme, epiphonema, proverb
Translations
Every language
noun legendary being
| Español | duende, pigmeo, gnomo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 놈 nom |
| 日本語 | ノーム nōmu |
| 中文 | 地精 dìjīng |
| Português | gnomo |
| Français | gnome |
| Deutsch | Gnom |
| Italiano | gnomo |
| Română | gnom |
| Русский | гном gnom |
| العربية | تِمْثَال timṯāl, قزم خرافيّ, قَوْلٌ مَأْثُور qawlun maʔṯūr, مَثَل سائر, اِتِّزان ittizān, حَصَافَة ḥaṣāfa |
noun small owl, Glaucidium gnoma
| Deutsch | Gnomen-Sperlingskauz |
|---|---|
| Русский | воробьиный сыч-гном vorobʹinyj syč-gnom |
Talk about this word "gnome." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gnome. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gnome. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gnome "gnome." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gnome.Cite this
@misc{gnome_2026,
title = {gnome},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gnome},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
