A gnome [nəʊm] is a diminutive chthonic spirit in Renaissance magic, alchemy and in later fantasy fiction.
The word is from Renaissance Latin gnomus, a word apparently coined by Swiss alchemist Paracelsus. Paracelsus uses Gnomi as a synonym of Pygmæi. He is perhaps deriving the term from Latin gēnomos (itself representing a Greek γη-νομος, literally "earth-dweller". In this case, the omission of the ē is, as the OED calls it, a blunder. Alternati...
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