gnome

UK: /ˈnəʊm/ US: /noʊm/ ,(nōm for 1; nōm, nō′mē for 2)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

gnome¹ /noʊm/   n. [countable]

1. Mythology one of a group of beings like dwarfs, supposedly living in the interior of the earth.

gnom•ish, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

gnome¹  (nōm), n. 

1. Mythology (in folklore) one of a species of diminutive beings, usually described as shriveled little old men, that inhabit the interior of the earth and act as guardians of its treasures;
   troll.
2. Banking an expert in monetary or financial affairs;
   international banker or financier:
   the gnomes of Zurich.

• Greek gnó̄mē; see gnome²
• Neo-Latin gnomus, perh.
• French
• 1705–15

gnom′ish, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. See goblin, sylph. 

gnome²  (nōm, nō′mē), n. 

1. a short, pithy expression of a general truth;
   aphorism.

• Greek gnó̄mē judgment, opinion, purpose
• 1570–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gnome / nəʊm/ noun

1. one of a species of legendary creatures, usually resembling small misshapen old men, said to live in the depths of the earth and guard buried treasure
2. the statue of a gnome, esp in a garden
3. a very small or ugly person
4. an international banker or financier (esp in the phrase gnomes of Zürich)

Etymology: 18th Century: from French, from New Latin gnomus, coined by Paracelsus, of obscure origin

ˈgnomish, ˈgnome-like adjective