- Dwarfs
- Dwarf Dwarf, n.; pl. {Dwarfs}. [OE. dwergh, dwerf, dwarf, AS.
dweorg, dweorh; akin to D. dwerg, MHG. twerc, G. zwerg, Icel.
dvergr, Sw. & Dan. dverg; of unknown origin.]
1. An animal or plant which is much below the ordinary size
of its species or kind.
[1913 Webster]
2. Especially: A diminutive human being, small in stature due to a pathological condition which causes a distortion of the proportions of body parts to each other, such as the limbs, torso, and head. A person of unusually small height who has normal body proportions is usually called a {midget}. [PJC]
Note: During the Middle Ages dwarfs as well as fools shared the favor of courts and the nobility. [1913 Webster]
3. (Folklore) A small, usually misshapen person, typically a man, who may have magical powers; mythical dwarves were often depicted as living underground in caves. [PJC]
Note: Dwarf is used adjectively in reference to anything much below the usual or normal size; as, a dwarf pear tree; dwarf honeysuckle. [1913 Webster]
{Dwarf elder} (Bot.), danewort.
{Dwarf wall} (Arch.), a low wall, not as high as the story of a building, often used as a garden wall or fence. --Gwilt. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
