dwarfn.adj.

Brit.

/dwɔːf/, U.S.

/d(w)ɔrf/

Inflections: Plural dwarfs, (chiefly in sense A. 3) dwarves Brit.

/dwɔːvz/, U.S.

/d(w)ɔrvz/;

Forms:

α. early Old English duerg, early Old English duerh, Old English dweorg, Old English dweorh, Old English dworh, Old English werc (transmission error), early Middle English dueorg- (inflected form), early Middle English dwæruh, Middle English dwarghe, Middle English dwergh, Middle English dwerghe, Middle English dwerhe, Middle English dweruȝ, late Middle English drawgh, late Middle English drewghe, late Middle English dwerȝ, late Middle English dwerȝe, late Middle English dwerk, late Middle English dwerke; Scottish pre-1700 dearch, pre-1700 derch, pre-1700 dorche, pre-1700 duerch, pre-1700 duerche, pre-1700 duergh, pre-1700 dwerch; N.E.D. (1897) also records a form late Middle English dwargh.

β. (a) Middle English duerf, Middle English dwarof, Middle English dwelf (transmission error), Middle English dwerff, Middle English dwerffe, Middle English dweruf, Middle English dworf, Middle English dwrfe, Middle English 1600s duarf, Middle English–1500s dwerf, Middle English–1600s dwarfe, Middle English–1600s dwarff, Middle English–1600s dwarffe, Middle English–1600s dwerfe, Middle English– dwarf, 1600s dwearf. also Scottish pre-1700 duerffis (plural), pre-1700 dwerff, pre-1700 1700s dwerf. Welsh English 1900s– dwarve. ; (b) also plural 1800s– dwarven (archaic, rare), 1800s– dwarves (chiefly in sense A. 3), 2000s– dwarfen (archaic, rare).

γ. Middle English drew, Middle English duerwe, Middle English duorow, Middle English durwes (plural), Middle English dwarow, Middle English dwarw, Middle English dwerewes (plural), Middle English dwerowe, Middle English dwerw, Middle English dwerwe, Middle English dwerwh, Middle English dwerwhe, 1900s– dwarrow (archaic).

δ. Middle English dwerþ.

ε. late Middle English dueri, late Middle English duery, late Middle English–1500s dwery.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian dwerch , dwirch (West Frisian dwerch ), Middle Dutch dwerch , dweerch , dworch (Dutch dwerg ), Middle Low German dwerch , dwarch , dwark , Old High German twerg (Middle High German twerc , twerch , querch , zwerch , German Zwerg , (regional: east central) Querg ), early Scandinavian (runic) tuirk illness apparently characterized by headache, Old Icelandic dvergr , Old Swedish dvärgher (Swedish dvärg ), Old Danish dwerigh , dwerg (Danish dværg ), all primarily in the sense ‘person unusually small in stature’ (see note); further etymology unknown. Compare droich n.Senses of Germanic cognates. Compare also (with prefix: see y- prefix) Old Saxon gi-dwerg , Old High German gi-twerg . In Old Saxon and Old High German both the prefixed and unprefixed forms are attested chiefly in glosses of classical Latin nānus dwarf (see nano- comb. form), pūmiliō pumilio n., homunculus homuncule n., etc., apparently in the sense ‘person unusually small in stature’ (compare quots. eOE and OE at sense A. 1aα. ). Uses with reference to supernatural beings (compare sense A. 3) are attested in Old Icelandic, Middle High German, and (also with reference to monsters) in Middle Dutch. The cognates in modern Germanic languages have a range of senses ‘small supernatural being; person unusually small in stature; animal or thing smaller than usual for its kind; inferior, unimportant, or narrow-minded person’. Related forms in other Germanic languages. Compare Old Icelandic dyrgja female dwarf (in modern Icelandic also ‘fat or slovenly woman’), Icelandic durgur loutish, clumsy, or cantankerous person, Norwegian (Nynorsk) dyrgje lazy woman, dorg mass, heap, (also) fat or slovenly woman, and also (probably < Norn) insular and northern Scots dorg corpulent or stout person, something big, thick, and clumsy, all probably ultimately < an ablaut variant (zero-grade) of the Germanic base of dwarf n. Compare also Finnish †turkka , †turka miserable or despicable person, wretch, perhaps showing a borrowing of the Germanic word. Earlier currency with reference to supernatural beings. Currency of the word in Old English with reference to a kind of mythological being (sense A. 3) is usually assumed, although there is no undisputed attestation of the word in this sense from that period. The following attestation of deores sweostar in a charm has sometimes been emended to dweores sweostar ‘the dwarf's sister’, but the manuscript reading has been defended as a form of deer n. or even dear n.² and the context in the charm is not clear enough to allow for certainty:OE Metrical Charm: Against Dwarf (Harl. 585) 13 Þa com in gangan deores [perhaps read dweores] sweostar. However, currency in this sense seems to be implied by use of the word to denote an unidentified illness probably attributed to the supernatural being (sense A. 4; compare early Scandinavian (runic) tuirk illness apparently characterized by headache); the context of quot. OE¹ at sense A. 4, which introduces the charm already cited, clearly links the illness to supernatural agency. In such contexts it can sometimes be difficult to decide whether reference is also being made to the being thought to cause the illness as well as to the illness itself. Compare also the Old English plant name dweorge-dwostle (early Middle English dweorȝe-dwosle ), perhaps literally ‘dwarf-tuftlet’, denoting the herb pennyroyal, which was probably so called because of its use in remedies against the ‘dwarf’ illness or, possibly, to ward off the being thought to cause it (although, alternatively, reference to the size of the plant (compare sense A. 2a) has also been suggested). The attested forms of the plant name suggest it had probably ceased to be entirely transparent already in Old English. The word is also found early in place names, in which it is usually assumed to refer to supernatural beings. Compare Dueridene , West Riding, Yorkshire (a1290; now Dwarriden), Dwerihouse , Lancashire (first half of the 14th cent.; now Dwerryhouse), and also (perhaps showing association with beings dwelling underground) Dwerffehole , Warwickshire (1461; also in plural), the name of a cave or caves near Salford Bridge, Aston. Form history. Variation in the root vowel reflects various sound changes in the vicinity of w and r in the history of English. In word-final position, the original velar fricative was devoiced in Old English (compare dweorh) and partly preserved in Middle English and Older Scots (see α. forms). The devoiced fricative occasionally developed to /k/ or /θ/ in Middle English (compare dwerk at α. forms and dwerþ at δ. forms), but more commonly to /f/, giving rise to the β. forms, first attested in the early 14th cent. (see discussion at G n., and compare e.g. enough adj., rough adj., and also (after r ) bargh n.). In inflected forms (including plurals) the original velar fricative was not subject to devoicing and in Middle English regularly developed to /w/, giving rise to the γ. forms (compare barrow n.¹, follow v., etc.). The form type was analogically levelled to the uninflected singular (and is rarely found for the plural in extant Middle English sources). The form dwarrow was revived in the 20th cent. from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien; compare:1955 J. R. R. Tolkien Return of King App. F. In this book as in The Hobbit the form dwarves is used, although the dictionaries tell us that the plural of dwarf is dwarfs. It should be dwarrows (or dwerrows), if singular and plural had each gone its own way down the years, as have man and men, or goose and geese. The ε. forms (compare also dwerȝ, dwerȝe at α. forms, perhaps alternatively belonging to this type, and see also the earlier attestation of this type in place names cited above) probably reflect sporadic palatalization of the voiced velar fricative in Middle English (after the fronting of unstressed vowels in inflections), or are perhaps due to the influence of borough n. (which has a similar range of form types to dwarf n., but where forms in -ry result from a regular phonological development). Plural forms of dwarf n. are very rarely attested in Middle English, but from the 16th cent. the dominant plural type has been †dwarfes , dwarfs (formed analogically from the historically singular β. forms). Its variant dwarves (reflecting a pronunciation variant with /v/) is attested from the early 19th cent. (compare quot. 1818 at sense A. 3) and is formed on the analogy of similar plurals of leaf n.¹, loaf n.¹, wolf n., etc., where the voiced consonant is a result of a regular historical development. Dwarves was the preferred form in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, and due to his influence has become the dominant form of the plural in sense A. 3. Further influence of the plural dwarves is shown by forms with -v- in derivatives at dwarven adj., dwarfish adj., dwarfishly adv., dwarfess n., and also (in a sense not relating to supernatural creatures) dwarfism n.

A. n.

I. A person who is very small in stature, and related senses.

a. A person who is unusually small in stature, esp. as a result of a genetic or medical condition causing dwarfism.In contexts where the discussion of stature is relevant, use of the term dwarf is considered acceptable by many people with dwarfism, but may be considered offensive outside of such contexts, especially when used by someone who does not have dwarfism.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [noun] > person

dwarfeOE

congeonc1230

go-by-ground?a1300

smalla1300

shrimpc1386

griga1400

gruba1400

murche1440

nirvil1440

mitinga1450

witherling1528

wretchocka1529

elf1530

hop-o'-my-thumb1530

pygmy1533

little person1538

manikin1540

mankin1552

dandiprat1556

yrle1568

grundy1570

Jack Sprat1570

squall1570

manling1573

Tom Thumb1579

pinka1585

squib1586

screaling1594

giant-dwarf1598

twattle1598

agate1600

minimus1600

cock sparrow1602

dapperling1611

modicum1611

scrub1611

sesquipedalian1615

dwarflinga1618

wretchcock1641

homuncio1643

whip-handle1653

homuncule1656

whippersnapper1674

chitterling1675

sprite1684

carliea1689

urling1691

wirling1691

dwarf man1699

poppet1699

durgan1706

short-arse1706

tomtit1706

Lilliputian1726

wallydraigle1736

midge1757

minikin1761

squeeze-crab1785

minimum1796

niff-naff1808

titman1818

teetotum1822

squita1825

cradden1825

nyaff1825

weed1825

pinkeen1850

fingerling1864

Lilliput1867

thumbling1867

midget1869

inch1884

shorty1888

titch1888

skimpling1890

stub1890

scrap1898

pygmoid1922

lofty1933

peewee1935

smidgen1952

pint-size1954

pint-sized1973

munchkin1974

α.

eOE Épinal Gloss. (1974) 37 Nanus uel pumilio, duerg.

OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 130 Pigmeus uel nanus uel pumilio, dweorh.

c1330 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Auch.) l. 2526 Eueri man me clepede dweruȝ.

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 147 Þai er lytill, lyke dwerghs.

c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 481 Þe dwerk Teondeleyn Tok þe stede be þe rayne.

1508 W. Kennedy Flyting (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 213 Duerch, I sall dyng the.

a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 650 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 115 Ye wretchit dorche.

1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 201 Dreid, dirtfast dearch.

β. a1300 Gloss. W. de Bibbesworth (Bodl.) (1929) l. 823 Duarf [a1325 Cambr. Un petit neim [glossed] dweruf].?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 65 Zacheus the dwerf þat clomb vp into the sycomour tre.a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) l. 2058 A dwerffe shulde wende by hyr syde.1597 in J. Arnold Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (1988) 146/2 Item for making a highe bodied Gowne of drake colour velvet (for Tomasen our woman dwarfe) with two silver laces aboute the bodies.a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) xiii. 250/1 That there have been extraordinary dwarfs (though not a nation of Pygmies) in several ages, is not denied.1668 A. Wood Life 24 July Edward Price, dwarff, belonging to Mert. Coll., buried.1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 99. ¶5 The Damsel..to avoid Scandal, must have a Dwarf for her Page.1846 W. R. Grove On Correlation Physical Forces 3 If a dwarf on the shoulders of a giant can see further than the giant, he is no less a dwarf in comparison with the giant.1937 W. Lewis Revenge for Love (1972) vii. i. 298 The dwarf had stopped in the street before the café.2003 Independent 11 Nov. ii. 5/1 More than 100 other dwarfs are staging a lobby of Parliament.γ. a1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesworth (Arun.) (1857) 167 Un pety neym [glossed] a dwarw.c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2062 Þe duerwe y seiȝe her ginne Þer he sat in þe tre.c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 6256 Dwerewes [a1425 Linc. Inn Durwes] also he bisette, Þikke and shorte. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 134 Dwerowe [a1500 BL Add. 37789 dwerwe, a1500 King's Cambr. dwerwh, 1516 de Worde dwerfe], nanus.?a1500 Nominale (Yale Beinecke 594) in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 806/9 Hic omunculus, a duorow.δ. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. l. 3391 (MED) Þe hote mery somers day No dwery is, but like a geant longe.a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) vi. l. 56 Now as a crepil lowe coorbid doun, Now a duery [a1500 Rawl. dueri, 1554 dwery] and now a champioun.

b. figurative. A person or thing characterized as (relatively) inferior, unimportant, ineffectual, etc.; (also) a person who is insignificant or deficient in a particular respect. Often opposed to giant.In earliest use as a personification of an immaterial thing.

ΚΠ

1575 T. Churchyard 1st Pt. Chippes sig. Bvii Proude blind consait, would not be placed last, Small witte would laugh, at wiser than him selfe, Disdaine that dwarfe, loekt like a piuishe elfe.

1631 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 2) (2nd state) cxxxvii. 339 He hath not given to all men the same stature of body, not the same strength of wit..; thus hath hee done also in matter of grace: there are spirituall dwarfes, there are giants.

1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (ed. 2) viii. 616 'Tis a poor boast to have out-gon Heathens and Turks in vertue and good works; to be taller than the dwarfs, as it were, and Pygmies of the world.

1707 J. Norris Pract. Treat. Humility v. 197 A dwarf in goodness.

1853 M. Howitt tr. F. Bremer Homes of New World I. vi. 110 What it now the state of the world during a long peace? Do not thousands of little dwarfs stick up their heads and fight with pins or pen-points?

1884 Baptist Missionary Mag. Aug. 318/1 Many men are moral dwarfs who might be giants.

1912 H. Belloc This & That 37 Many troubles that seem giants at evening are but dwarfs at sunrise.

1973 Times 13 Dec. 11/3 The [European] Community was an economic giant, but a political dwarf and..it was in danger of becoming an economic dwarf as well.

2015 W.Fanxi in G. Benton Unarmed Prophets iv. 346 By comparison with Zhou Enlai, Wang Ming was a mere dwarf. There was only one area where Wang Ming clearly excelled: in the tenacity with which he strove after the top place in the Party.

a. A plant or animal that is smaller than is usual for its kind or species (often as a result of selective propagation or breeding), or that is affected with dwarfism.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > appearance of plant > defined by size or stature > [noun] > small or large plant

dwarf1593

plantleta1711

subdwarf1902

tall1909

the world > life > biology > biological processes > development, growth, or degeneration > [noun] > growth > vigorous growth > lack of > dwarfed creature

pumilio1576

dwarf1593

1593 C. Hollyband Dict. French & Eng. Couät, or coat, the vnderling or dwarfe of any beast or foule.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 562 The young one [sc. a mule] so generated, is called Ginnus and Pumilio for it is a very dwarfe, according to the observation of Martiall [etc.].

1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner i. vi. 65 When you graffe in the Cleft, if it be to make Dwarfs [Fr. un Nain], you must first saw your Stock four inches, or thereabouts, above ground.

1683 J. Reid Scots Gard'ner ii. v. 88 I think graffing in the Roots of Pears, will produce Dwarfs.

1719 G. London & H. Wise J. de la Quintinie's Compl. Gard'ner (ed. 7) 113 The Beauty of Dwarfs consists in a low Stem, an open Head.

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xiv. 164 You will be glad to entertain this pretty dwarf [sc. the Persian Iris].

1892 Rural New-Yorker 13 Aug. 521/1 He manages to give each one of the little horse dwarfs a thorough high school education.

1915 W. Haynes Pract. Dog Breeding iv. 75 Here was a hybrid, breeding absolutely true, a perfect dwarf produced from tall parents [sc. garden peas].

1997 M. Derr Dog's Best Friend ii. 56 Others, like the Pomeranian, are ateliotic dwarfs, well-proportioned miniaturized dogs.

2016 N. Kingsbury Garden Flora 98 The opening up of Japan brought with it not only many good conifers, including some dwarfs derived from witch's brooms, particularly of Chamaecyparis obtusa (hinoki cypress), but also an awareness of bonsai.

b. A thing that is smaller than most others of its kind. Usually followed by a phrase introduced by of, indicating the nature or class of the thing being denoted as a dwarf.

ΚΠ

1828 Niles' Reg. 2 Feb. 371/1 Our little dwarf of a state [sc. Rhode Island]..contains a very respectable portion of the whole manufacturing business and the capital of the country.

1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton Night & Morning (ed. 2) I. viii. 164 She turned..towards a little, deformed, rickety dwarf of a sofa, that seemed to hide itself in the darkest corner of the low, gloomy room.

1932 Pacific Constructor 1 Sept. 4/1 Compared with New York, London is today a city of architectural dwarfs.

1982 D. Roberts Great Explor. Hoaxes vi. 96 They picked out an insignificant dwarf of a mountain, its summit less than six thousand feet high, and climbed it.

2019 Atlantic Online (Nexis) 11 June The original Macintosh was an adorable dwarf of a computer. About the size of a full-grown pug, its small footprint, built-in handle, and light weight made it easy to transport and stow.

c. Astronomy. A star of relatively low luminosity and size, spec. a main sequence star, such as the sun; = dwarf star n. at Compounds 3. Also: a celestial object intermediate in size between a giant planet and a small star; = brown dwarf n.Often with preceding adjective denoting the spectral type; see red dwarf n.black dwarf, white dwarf, yellow dwarf: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > star > kind of star > small star > [noun] > dwarf

dwarf star1911

dwarf1912

brown dwarf1975

1912 H. N. Russell in Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 51 574 It would be difficult to say whether a star of absolute magnitude near 1.0 should be regarded as an unusually faint giant star or an unusually bright dwarf.

1921 Discovery Sept. 236/1 After this stage is reached and the star attains a certain density, it falls off rapidly in temperature, and becomes a cooling dwarf.

1996 Sci. Amer. June 83/1 If the dwarf is not collapsing, the degeneracy pressure of the electrons and the gravitational collapse of the protons must just balance.

2007 T. Koupelis & K. F. Kuhn Quest Universe (ed. 5) xiv. 420/1 (caption) The dwarf is a companion to a much brighter star, Gliese 229.

2020 Express Online (Nexis) 22 Sept. These ultra-cool dwarfs are scattered all across the sky.

3. In Germanic (esp. Scandinavian) mythology and folklore, and (later) fantasy fiction, games, etc.: one of a class of beings, typically described as short, stocky, bearded, human-like creatures skilled in mining and metalworking, and sometimes as having magical or supernatural powers. Cf. dwarfish adj. 2.Later depictions of dwarfs in fantasy fiction, games, etc., have been particularly influenced by the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien concerning his fictional world of Middle Earth (see e.g. quot. 1937), and Tolkien's preferred plural spelling dwarves is now prevalent in these contexts; see discussion in the etymology section.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > dwarf

dwarf1761

tokoloshe1833

dwerg1892

1761 T. Percy Let. June in Percy Lett. (1951) III. 13 The same I can assure you with regard to the Fairies: They held a very important rank in the Celtic Mythology... The Northern Nations called them Duergar or Dwarfs.

1770 T. Percy tr. P. H. Mallet Northern Antiq. I. vi. 106 They made of his scull the vault of heaven, which is supported by four dwarfs named South, North, East and West.

1818 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. 46 26 The history of Laurin, king of the dwarves.

1834 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pilgrims of Rhine xxvi. 286 The aged King of the Dwarfs that preside over the dull realms of lead.

1846 J. E. Taylor Fairy Ring Notes 363 The notion that the wicked elves or dwarfs had the power to steal children before their baptism is found also..in Iceland.

1937 J. R. R. Tolkien Hobbit i. 18 It was two more dwarves, both with blue hoods, silver belts, and yellow beards; and each of them carried a bag of tools and a spade.

1955 C. S. Lewis Surprised by Joy iii. 57 The old bright-hooded, snowy-bearded dwarfs we had in those days before Arthur Rackham sublimed, or Walt Disney vulgarised, the earthmen.

1974 G. Gygax & D. Arneson Dungeons & Dragons: Rules I. 12 Dwarves are more interested in gold, Magic-Users and elves desire magical items, and Clerics want..a place of worship in which to house themselves.

1998 Daily Mail 12 Nov. 57/1 Gnomes and dwarfs feature extensively in the legends and myths of many cultures.

2016 L. A. C. Rosen Memory Wall ii. 32 He doesn't like dwarves. They'd been his enemies for ages, tucked away underground.

†II. A type of illness.

4. An illness, apparently characterized by fever (and perhaps other symptoms) and probably believed to be caused by a supernatural being or agency (cf. sense A. 3). Obsolete.

ΚΠ

OE Metrical Charm: Against Dwarf (Harl. 585) 1 Wið dweorh man sceal niman vii lytle oflætan..and writtan [read writan] þas naman on ælcre oflætan [etc.].

OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) x. 266 Dweorg onweg to donne, hwites hundes þost gecnucadne to duste..syle etan þam untruman men ær þær tide hys tocymes.

?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 31 Hwile he riþaþ, swylce he on dueorge sy [L. interdum, et febriunt].

B. adj.

a. In names of plants and animals that are naturally smaller than others of a related or (supposedly) similar kind.For more established uses of this type see Compounds 2.Originally and frequently corresponding to post-classical or scientific Latin plant names that begin with chamae- (see chamae- comb. form) or that include a descriptive adjective such as nanus (see nano- comb. form) or pumilus (see pumil adj.).

ΚΠ

1548 W. Turner Names of Herbes sig. C.i^v Chamaecyparissus..may be called in englishe heath Cypres; because it groweth amonge heath, or dwarfe Cypres.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Ardea Ardea alba, a criell or dwarfe heron.

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball ii. lvi. 222 The fifth kinde is called Testiculus odoratus, Testiculus pumilio: that is to say, sauerie Standel-wurte, or sweete Ballocke, and Dwarffe Orchis.

1597 J. Gerard Herball i. 3 Dwarfe grasse is the least of all grasses.

1651 J. French Art Distillation i. 39 Ebulus or Dwarfe Elder.

1695 W. Westmacott Historia Vegetabilium Sacra 222 Dwarf Willow is Salix Pumila Angustifolia.

1780 W. Smellie tr. Comte de Buffon Nat. Hist. Gen. & Particular VI. 240 The Zebu, or Dwarf Ox.

1789 W. Aiton Hortus Kewensis I. 323 Dwarf Gentian, or Gentianella.

1832 E. Lankester Veg. Substances Food 220 The dwarf kidney-bean..a native of India..erroneously called the French bean.

1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. V. 66 Dwarf Birch..a low shrub.

1939 E. D. Laborde tr. E. de Martonne Shorter Physical Geogr. (rev. ed.) xix. 293 Evergreen bushes predominate: conifers, like the mountain pine (Pinus montana), and the dwarf juniper (Juniperus nana), or shrubs with thick with thick leaves, like rhododendron.

1984 R. M. Pyle Audubon Soc. Handbk. for Butterfly Watchers v. 60 Immigrant Dwarf Yellows flew all about.

2009 M. A. Mitchell & T. N. Tully Man. Exotic Pet Pract. 342/2 Specific intestinal parasites identified in rats include the dwarf tapeworm (Hymenolepis nana).

b. Of a plant or animal, or a variety, breed, or group of these: that is unusually small or short; spec. that is reduced in size by selective breeding or propagation or because of environmental or cultural conditions. Also: of, relating to, or characteristic of such plants or animals.See also Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xv. 95 The dwarfe or little hens [Fr. poules naines] do lay ofter than the other, but they are not so fit to be set on egges to bring foorth Chickens.

1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole iii. xix. 587 That [sc. the Paradise apple tree] being a dwarfe Tree, whatsoeuer fruit shall bee grafted on it, will keepe the graft low like vnto it selfe.

1699 J. Evelyn Acetaria 34 The French Minion a dwarf kind [of lettuce].

1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. iii. 297 Sow these Dwarf annual Flowers.

1774 J. Gordon Planters, Florists, & Gardeners Pocket Dict. 46/1 When it [sc. a bramble] is planted in gardens it should be in a poor soil, which will keep it dwarfer.

1830 Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7 159 This is the dwarfest of all the Dahlias with which I am acquainted.

1881 W. Robinson Wild Garden (ed. 2) xiv. 158 The mossy, silvery, and purple saxifrages may be naturalised with the greatest ease on bare rocky or mountainous grounds, amidst dwarf vegetation.

1910 G. A. Reid Laws Heredity ix. 198 When two dwarf breeds of dogs are crossed the offspring tend to be larger than either parent.

1996 Pract. Gardening June 85/1 They [sc. irises] have every colour except red; old classic Victorian varieties right up to modern American forms, dwarf irises and the tallest bearded irises.

2015 C. Nardozzi Foodscaping iii. 125 Plant dwarf or semi-dwarf cherries as specimen trees in a yard.

2. figurative. Underdeveloped, weak, or inferior in extent, character, quality, etc.; puny; insignificant. Somewhat rare.

ΚΠ

1634 C. Fitzgeffry Blessed Birth-day 23 Great is this Mysterie of Godlinesse Transcending mans dwarf-wit.

1852 E. F. Carlen Lover's Stratagem (1853) 43/1 My dwarf soul has certainly never cherished the presumptuous idea, of comparing itself..with the sublime genius enthroned in my dear cousin's matchless brain.

1985 S. Kanfer Internat. Garage Sale iii. 67 There was a melancholy undertow to those two words. A sense of something programmed in its genes to be incomplete, a dwarf affair.

3. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a person of unusually short stature; designating such a person, esp. one with dwarfism.Some of this evidence could alternatively be taken as showing use of the noun as a modifier; cf. Compounds 1a.

ΚΠ

a1635 T. Randolph Muses Looking-glasse v. i. 87 in Poems (1638) Their stature neither Dwarfe nor Gyantish.

1717 J. Hughes tr. Suetonius Lives XII. Cæsars II. 482 A Dwarf-Boy clad in Scarlet with a Head monstrously little, stood at his Feet, whom he talk'd to very much.

1869 P. T. Barnum Struggles & Triumphs xxxvii. 582 I heard of an extraordinary dwarf girl, named Lavinia Warren... An accomplished, beautiful and perfectly-developed woman in miniature.

1902 H. H. Johnston Uganda Protectorate II. xiv. 533 A little Dwarf woman who had resided..at Kampala..spoke perfect Kiswahili.

1984 J. Ablon Little People in Amer. xi. 161 In the very act of beginning to participate in LPA—to attend events in a room full of dozens, or..hundreds of other dwarfs—many members for the first time were forced to admit their own dwarf identity to themselves.

2005 B. K. Rothman Weaving Family ii. 22 Dwarves form a community..in the connection any..dwarf feels to the historic treatment of dwarf people.

a. Of unusually small size or low height; little, diminutive.Cf. earlier use specifically of plants and animals at sense B. 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > [adjective]

shortc888

lowc1175

base1590

lowly1695

unlofty1729

squat1757

strunty1808

unhigh1811

dwarf1880

1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. i. 12 Those little dwarf Spirits, we call Elves and Fairies.

1858 Lowell (Mass.) Daily Citizen 24 May 1/6 New Lisborn, Ohio, is the ‘Dwarf City’... It is a small country town.., but presents in a remarkable degree all the appearance and characteristics of a well-ordered city.

1950 H. K. Smith State of Europe v. 99 In time, the dwarf state had absorbed two-thirds the area of Germany.

1969 V. Nabokov Ada i. xi. 68 Uncle Dan..was trying to read, with the aid of one of those dwarf dictionaries for undemanding tourists.

1971 R. Silverberg Son of Man xxxiii. 205 When darkness comes he camps at the foot of a dwarf mountain.

b. spec. Designating an architectural feature, fixture, etc., built to a lower height than is usual. Also: designating an item of furniture made in a smaller than usual size.Recorded earliest in dwarf wall n. at Compounds 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > wall > other types of wall

sidewall1381

brick wall1465

outwall1535

parpen1591

parapet1598

inwall?1611

breastwork1673

parapet wall1682

dwarf1718

screen1761

screen wall1770

hollow wall1823

alure1853

curtain wall1859

core-wall1899

blank wall1904

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > joist > support for

raisingeOE

raising-piece1286

summer1324

reasonc1330

rib-reasonc1350

wall-plate1394

wall-plat1420

summer-piecec1429

summer-tree1452

resourc1493

summer beam1519

wall-rase1523

girt1579

bridle1587

girder1611

out-footing1611

sommier1623

raising plate1637

trimmer1654

main beama1657

corbel1679

dwarf1718

brick trimmer1774

summer stonea1782

tail-trimmer1823

wood brick1842

1718 S. Switzer Ichnographia Rustica III. viii. 118 The End of this Parterre is fenc'd in from the Park with curious Iron Work, on Dwarf-Walls.

1819 W. H. Pyne Hist. Royal Resid. II. 32 The opposite side of the steps has dwarf wainscoting, with richly carved and moulded paneling.

1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 967 Dwarf Wainscoting, usually four, five or six feet high.

1880 M. E. Braddon Just as I Am vii There were dwarf bookcases between the windows.

1939 Burlington Mag. May p. xv/2 A Chippendale mahogany dwarf wardrobe.

1976 Britannia 7 177 The inner wall may have carried dwarf pillars.

2004 Archit. Hist. 47 151 The motif of Lombard friezes impressed under the string-courses, rises as dwarf arches under the roof like the icing around a cake.

Compounds

C1.

a. As a modifier, with the sense ‘of, for, or belonging to a dwarf or dwarfs’ (now chiefly in sense A. 3).

ΚΠ

1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum 28 It is reported by some of the Ancients; That Whelps, or other Creatures, if they be put Young, into such a Cage, or Boxe, as they cannot rise to their Stature, but may encrease in Breadth, or length; will growe accordingly, as they can gett Roome... It is a Meanes to produce Dwarfe Creatures.

a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 240 The pygmie-warriour runs to fight In his dwarf-armour.

1884 F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads I. ii. xli. 361/2 A dwarf-king, elf-king, hill-king.

2018 C. Pramas Dwarf Warfare (new ed.) 19 A dwarf army brings more to the battlefield that it appears at first glance.

b. As a modifier, with the sense ‘by a dwarf or dwarfs’ (chiefly in sense A. 3), as in dwarf-made, dwarf-mined, dwarf-worked, etc.

ΚΠ

1818 J. Bentham Let. 1 Feb. in Corr. (1989) IX. 155 As to the existence of this dwarf sent letter you can scarcely be under any need of any thing from me to apprize you of it.

1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. iv. 143 A gold ring..right royally dwarf-worked.

1999 J. Dalmas Lion Returns xxii The very finest swords were dwarf made.

2009 Mythlore 28 39 Also called the Hidden King for his refuge in the Dwarf-hewn fortress of Menegroth.

C2. In names of plants and animals. Cf. sense B. 1a.

dwarf box n. a low-growing cultivated form of common box, Buxus sempervirens, used esp. for the edgings of parterres and paths; also called ground box.

ΚΠ

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. xxxii. 699 The smal Boxe is called of some..in Latine, Humi Buxus: that is to say, Ground Boxe, or Dwarffe Boxe.

1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 149 Dwarf-Box..is made use of for planting the..Edgings of Borders.

1839 R. Smith Cottagers' Bee-bk. 73 Thrift is a sort of grass that grow in tufts and is used for edging, near to paths in gardens, instead of dwarf box.

2011 W. C. Welch & G. Grant Heirloom Gardening in South 164 The shorter, more compact dwarf box normally stops growing at a height of less than three feet.

dwarf honeysuckle n. (a) a low-growing perennial herbaceous plant of moorlands and mountains of Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, Cornus suecica (family Cornaceae), having an inflorescence consisting of tiny purple flowers surrounded by four white bracts, and globular red fruits (now historical and rare); (b) (chiefly U.S.) any of various relatively small honeysuckles (genus Lonicera) and bush honeysuckles (genus Diervilla) (family Caprifoliaceae).

ΚΠ

1597 J. Gerard Herball iii. 1113 (caption) Chamæpericlymenum. Dwarfe Honisuckle.

1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 201 Cornus herbacea, dwarf honeysuckle, dwarf cornel.

1812 Catal. Forest Trees (W. A. & J. Mackie) 31 Lonicera Diervilla, Yellow Dwarf Honeysuckle.

1987 Systematic Bot. 12 507/2 C[ornus] suecica was first called chamaepericlymenum, dwarf honeysuckle.

2013 S. Williams Creating Prairie Xeriscape (rev. ed.) vii. 128 The dwarf honeysuckles are used as low hedging, in mixed borders and for massing.

dwarf lemur n. any of several of the very small lemurs comprising the family Cheirogaleidae, the members of which are arboreal and nocturnal; (in later use) spec. a lemur of the genus Cheirogaleus.

ΚΠ

1819 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) XIII. 405/1 M[aki] pusillus. Lemur pusillus... Dwarf lemur.

1909 T. Seymour Roosevelt in Afr. 476 The dwarf lemurs inhabit a belt of forest-land stretching from the eastern forest into the heart of Betsileo.

2013 New Scientist 11 May 17/1 The little-known Crossley's and Sibree's dwarf lemurs hibernate in underground burrows.

dwarf mallow n. an annual Eurasian mallow with prostrate stems and small, lilac-veined white flowers, Malva neglecta.

ΚΠ

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball v. xxiv. 581 The second wild kind which is the least, is called Malua sylvestris pumila, or Malua pumila, that is to say, the small wilde Hocke, or Dwarffe Mallowe.

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxiv. 344 Dwarf Mallow has a prostrate stem.

1996 Chiltern Seeds Catal. 158 Dwarf Mallow. Procumbent annual native wild flower with stems covered in a star-shaped down.

dwarf plane tree n. †(a) the guelder rose, Viburnum opulus, which has leaves somewhat resembling those of plane trees (obsolete); (b) a naturally or artificially dwarfed plane tree or (rarely) sycamore (now chiefly historical).

ΚΠ

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. lxxx. 760 Of Marris Elder, Ople, or Dwarffe Plane tree.

1728 R. Bradley Dict. Botanicum at Aphaca Legumen Dwarf Plane-Tree. See Marish, or Water-Elder.

1886 G. Stables Cruise Land Yacht ‘Wanderer’ xxiv. 256 Here and there, as far as you can see, up through it grow wild dwarf oak bushes, their foliage crimson or carmine tipped, dwarf plane trees, with broad sienna leaves, that glitter in the sunshine as if they had been varnished.

1929 Geogr. Rev. 19 441 In either case it [sc. the ambulatio] was bordered by a fancifully cut box hedge or by dwarf plane trees.

2003 M. Carroll Earthly Paradises 86 Favourite plants in these gardens were ivy, box, laurel, cypress, myrtle, acanthus, dwarf plane trees and rosemary.

C3.

dwarf galaxy n. Astronomy a galaxy of relatively low luminosity and size.Dwarf galaxies are the most abundant type of galaxy. They typically contain fewer than 40 billion stars (and often fewer than a billion). The smallest ultra-faint dwarf galaxies may contain only a few tens of stars.

ΚΠ

1928 W. J. L. Luyten Pageant of Stars 267 We might well consider them as dwarf galaxies.

1960 S. van den Bergh in Astrophysical Jrnl. 131 216 The nomenclature for the luminosity classes has been chosen to agree with that used in the Yerkes system of stellar luminosity classification: (I) supergiant galaxy, (II) bright giant galaxy, (III) normal giant galaxy, (IV) subgiant galaxy, and (V) dwarf galaxy.

2015 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Nov. 37/1 The experiment has made some interesting astrophysical findings, such as the discovery of 16 ultrafaint dwarf galaxy candidates in the Milky Way's backyard.

dwarf signal n. Railways a low home signal (see home signal n. (b) at home n.¹ and adj. Compounds 2).

ΚΠ

1870 Brit. Patent 2586 (1871) 3 The dwarf signal in connection with each pair of switches or points is by preference made in the form of an arrow.

1922 Times of India 4 Aug. (Engin. Suppl.) 3/1 In order to minimise the number of red lights which a driver would see at night in congested areas, the ‘Stop’ indication of the Dwarf Signal is purple instead of red.

2016 Trains Mag. Mar. 58 When the dwarf signal popped into view, a yellow restricting signal greeted us, which doesn't happen often.

dwarf star n. Astronomy a star of relatively low luminosity and size, spec. a main sequence star; cf. sense A. 2c.

ΚΠ

1911 H. N. Russell in Science 20 Oct. 524/1 These stars are probably similar to the stars of great luminosity to which Hertzsprung has called attention under the name of ‘giant stars’. The others may be called ‘dwarf stars’.

2004 B. Greene Fabric of Cosmos (2005) iii. x. 298 Since such supernova explosions occur when the dwarf star reaches the same critical mass, the characteristics of the explosion, including its overall intrinsic brightness, are largely the same from episode to episode.

dwarf wall n. a low wall, esp. one forming the base for a railing, one supporting the joists under a floor, or some other superstructure, or one used as a retaining wall.

ΚΠ

1718 S. Switzer Ichnographia Rustica III. viii. 118 The End of this Parterre is fenc'd in from the Park with curious Iron Work, on Dwarf-Walls.

1815 Morning Post 19 May His Royal Highness proposes to run a light open fence, with a dwarf wall base, so as to improve and diversify the prospect.

1905 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 13 Jan. 184/1 The whole structure should stand on a damp proof course over a dwarf wall of brick, concrete, or stone.

1914 Rec. Past Jan.–Feb. 4 The grave was covered by a flat pile of sand retained by a dwarf wall about 18 in. high.

2002 K. Wedd Victorian Soc. Bk. of Victorian House xii. 137 Timber conservatories were usually built on dwarf walls of brick or stone.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022).

单词	dwarf
释义	dwarfn.adj. Brit. /dwɔːf/, U.S. /d(w)ɔrf/ Inflections: Plural dwarfs, (chiefly in sense A. 3) dwarves Brit. /dwɔːvz/, U.S. /d(w)ɔrvz/; Forms: α. early Old English duerg, early Old English duerh, Old English dweorg, Old English dweorh, Old English dworh, Old English werc (transmission error), early Middle English dueorg- (inflected form), early Middle English dwæruh, Middle English dwarghe, Middle English dwergh, Middle English dwerghe, Middle English dwerhe, Middle English dweruȝ, late Middle English drawgh, late Middle English drewghe, late Middle English dwerȝ, late Middle English dwerȝe, late Middle English dwerk, late Middle English dwerke; Scottish pre-1700 dearch, pre-1700 derch, pre-1700 dorche, pre-1700 duerch, pre-1700 duerche, pre-1700 duergh, pre-1700 dwerch; N.E.D. (1897) also records a form late Middle English dwargh. β. (a) Middle English duerf, Middle English dwarof, Middle English dwelf (transmission error), Middle English dwerff, Middle English dwerffe, Middle English dweruf, Middle English dworf, Middle English dwrfe, Middle English 1600s duarf, Middle English–1500s dwerf, Middle English–1600s dwarfe, Middle English–1600s dwarff, Middle English–1600s dwarffe, Middle English–1600s dwerfe, Middle English– dwarf, 1600s dwearf. also Scottish pre-1700 duerffis (plural), pre-1700 dwerff, pre-1700 1700s dwerf. Welsh English 1900s– dwarve. ; (b) also plural 1800s– dwarven (archaic, rare), 1800s– dwarves (chiefly in sense A. 3), 2000s– dwarfen (archaic, rare). γ. Middle English drew, Middle English duerwe, Middle English duorow, Middle English durwes (plural), Middle English dwarow, Middle English dwarw, Middle English dwerewes (plural), Middle English dwerowe, Middle English dwerw, Middle English dwerwe, Middle English dwerwh, Middle English dwerwhe, 1900s– dwarrow (archaic). δ. Middle English dwerþ. ε. late Middle English dueri, late Middle English duery, late Middle English–1500s dwery. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian dwerch , dwirch (West Frisian dwerch ), Middle Dutch dwerch , dweerch , dworch (Dutch dwerg ), Middle Low German dwerch , dwarch , dwark , Old High German twerg (Middle High German twerc , twerch , querch , zwerch , German Zwerg , (regional: east central) Querg ), early Scandinavian (runic) tuirk illness apparently characterized by headache, Old Icelandic dvergr , Old Swedish dvärgher (Swedish dvärg ), Old Danish dwerigh , dwerg (Danish dværg ), all primarily in the sense ‘person unusually small in stature’ (see note); further etymology unknown. Compare droich n.Senses of Germanic cognates. Compare also (with prefix: see y- prefix) Old Saxon gi-dwerg , Old High German gi-twerg . In Old Saxon and Old High German both the prefixed and unprefixed forms are attested chiefly in glosses of classical Latin nānus dwarf (see nano- comb. form), pūmiliō pumilio n., homunculus homuncule n., etc., apparently in the sense ‘person unusually small in stature’ (compare quots. eOE and OE at sense A. 1aα. ). Uses with reference to supernatural beings (compare sense A. 3) are attested in Old Icelandic, Middle High German, and (also with reference to monsters) in Middle Dutch. The cognates in modern Germanic languages have a range of senses ‘small supernatural being; person unusually small in stature; animal or thing smaller than usual for its kind; inferior, unimportant, or narrow-minded person’. Related forms in other Germanic languages. Compare Old Icelandic dyrgja female dwarf (in modern Icelandic also ‘fat or slovenly woman’), Icelandic durgur loutish, clumsy, or cantankerous person, Norwegian (Nynorsk) dyrgje lazy woman, dorg mass, heap, (also) fat or slovenly woman, and also (probably < Norn) insular and northern Scots dorg corpulent or stout person, something big, thick, and clumsy, all probably ultimately < an ablaut variant (zero-grade) of the Germanic base of dwarf n. Compare also Finnish †turkka , †turka miserable or despicable person, wretch, perhaps showing a borrowing of the Germanic word. Earlier currency with reference to supernatural beings. Currency of the word in Old English with reference to a kind of mythological being (sense A. 3) is usually assumed, although there is no undisputed attestation of the word in this sense from that period. The following attestation of deores sweostar in a charm has sometimes been emended to dweores sweostar ‘the dwarf's sister’, but the manuscript reading has been defended as a form of deer n. or even dear n.² and the context in the charm is not clear enough to allow for certainty:OE Metrical Charm: Against Dwarf (Harl. 585) 13 Þa com in gangan deores [perhaps read dweores] sweostar. However, currency in this sense seems to be implied by use of the word to denote an unidentified illness probably attributed to the supernatural being (sense A. 4; compare early Scandinavian (runic) tuirk illness apparently characterized by headache); the context of quot. OE¹ at sense A. 4, which introduces the charm already cited, clearly links the illness to supernatural agency. In such contexts it can sometimes be difficult to decide whether reference is also being made to the being thought to cause the illness as well as to the illness itself. Compare also the Old English plant name dweorge-dwostle (early Middle English dweorȝe-dwosle ), perhaps literally ‘dwarf-tuftlet’, denoting the herb pennyroyal, which was probably so called because of its use in remedies against the ‘dwarf’ illness or, possibly, to ward off the being thought to cause it (although, alternatively, reference to the size of the plant (compare sense A. 2a) has also been suggested). The attested forms of the plant name suggest it had probably ceased to be entirely transparent already in Old English. The word is also found early in place names, in which it is usually assumed to refer to supernatural beings. Compare Dueridene , West Riding, Yorkshire (a1290; now Dwarriden), Dwerihouse , Lancashire (first half of the 14th cent.; now Dwerryhouse), and also (perhaps showing association with beings dwelling underground) Dwerffehole , Warwickshire (1461; also in plural), the name of a cave or caves near Salford Bridge, Aston. Form history. Variation in the root vowel reflects various sound changes in the vicinity of w and r in the history of English. In word-final position, the original velar fricative was devoiced in Old English (compare dweorh) and partly preserved in Middle English and Older Scots (see α. forms). The devoiced fricative occasionally developed to /k/ or /θ/ in Middle English (compare dwerk at α. forms and dwerþ at δ. forms), but more commonly to /f/, giving rise to the β. forms, first attested in the early 14th cent. (see discussion at G n., and compare e.g. enough adj., rough adj., and also (after r ) bargh n.). In inflected forms (including plurals) the original velar fricative was not subject to devoicing and in Middle English regularly developed to /w/, giving rise to the γ. forms (compare barrow n.¹, follow v., etc.). The form type was analogically levelled to the uninflected singular (and is rarely found for the plural in extant Middle English sources). The form dwarrow was revived in the 20th cent. from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien; compare:1955 J. R. R. Tolkien Return of King App. F. In this book as in The Hobbit the form dwarves is used, although the dictionaries tell us that the plural of dwarf is dwarfs. It should be dwarrows (or dwerrows), if singular and plural had each gone its own way down the years, as have man and men, or goose and geese. The ε. forms (compare also dwerȝ, dwerȝe at α. forms, perhaps alternatively belonging to this type, and see also the earlier attestation of this type in place names cited above) probably reflect sporadic palatalization of the voiced velar fricative in Middle English (after the fronting of unstressed vowels in inflections), or are perhaps due to the influence of borough n. (which has a similar range of form types to dwarf n., but where forms in -ry result from a regular phonological development). Plural forms of dwarf n. are very rarely attested in Middle English, but from the 16th cent. the dominant plural type has been †dwarfes , dwarfs (formed analogically from the historically singular β. forms). Its variant dwarves (reflecting a pronunciation variant with /v/) is attested from the early 19th cent. (compare quot. 1818 at sense A. 3) and is formed on the analogy of similar plurals of leaf n.¹, loaf n.¹, wolf n., etc., where the voiced consonant is a result of a regular historical development. Dwarves was the preferred form in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, and due to his influence has become the dominant form of the plural in sense A. 3. Further influence of the plural dwarves is shown by forms with -v- in derivatives at dwarven adj., dwarfish adj., dwarfishly adv., dwarfess n., and also (in a sense not relating to supernatural creatures) dwarfism n. A. n. I. A person who is very small in stature, and related senses. 1. a. A person who is unusually small in stature, esp. as a result of a genetic or medical condition causing dwarfism.In contexts where the discussion of stature is relevant, use of the term dwarf is considered acceptable by many people with dwarfism, but may be considered offensive outside of such contexts, especially when used by someone who does not have dwarfism. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [noun] > person dwarfeOE congeonc1230 go-by-ground?a1300 smalla1300 shrimpc1386 griga1400 gruba1400 murche1440 nirvil1440 mitinga1450 witherling1528 wretchocka1529 elf1530 hop-o'-my-thumb1530 pygmy1533 little person1538 manikin1540 mankin1552 dandiprat1556 yrle1568 grundy1570 Jack Sprat1570 squall1570 manling1573 Tom Thumb1579 pinka1585 squib1586 screaling1594 giant-dwarf1598 twattle1598 agate1600 minimus1600 cock sparrow1602 dapperling1611 modicum1611 scrub1611 sesquipedalian1615 dwarflinga1618 wretchcock1641 homuncio1643 whip-handle1653 homuncule1656 whippersnapper1674 chitterling1675 sprite1684 carliea1689 urling1691 wirling1691 dwarf man1699 poppet1699 durgan1706 short-arse1706 tomtit1706 Lilliputian1726 wallydraigle1736 midge1757 minikin1761 squeeze-crab1785 minimum1796 niff-naff1808 titman1818 teetotum1822 squita1825 cradden1825 nyaff1825 weed1825 pinkeen1850 fingerling1864 Lilliput1867 thumbling1867 midget1869 inch1884 shorty1888 titch1888 skimpling1890 stub1890 scrap1898 pygmoid1922 lofty1933 peewee1935 smidgen1952 pint-size1954 pint-sized1973 munchkin1974 α. eOE Épinal Gloss. (1974) 37 Nanus uel pumilio, duerg. OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 130 Pigmeus uel nanus uel pumilio, dweorh. c1330 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Auch.) l. 2526 Eueri man me clepede dweruȝ. ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 147 Þai er lytill, lyke dwerghs. c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 481 Þe dwerk Teondeleyn Tok þe stede be þe rayne. 1508 W. Kennedy Flyting (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 213 Duerch, I sall dyng the. a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 650 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 115 Ye wretchit dorche. 1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 201 Dreid, dirtfast dearch. β. a1300 Gloss. W. de Bibbesworth (Bodl.) (1929) l. 823 Duarf [a1325 Cambr. Un petit neim [glossed] dweruf].?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 65 Zacheus the dwerf þat clomb vp into the sycomour tre.a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) l. 2058 A dwerffe shulde wende by hyr syde.1597 in J. Arnold Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (1988) 146/2 Item for making a highe bodied Gowne of drake colour velvet (for Tomasen our woman dwarfe) with two silver laces aboute the bodies.a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) xiii. 250/1 That there have been extraordinary dwarfs (though not a nation of Pygmies) in several ages, is not denied.1668 A. Wood Life 24 July Edward Price, dwarff, belonging to Mert. Coll., buried.1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 99. ¶5 The Damsel..to avoid Scandal, must have a Dwarf for her Page.1846 W. R. Grove On Correlation Physical Forces 3 If a dwarf on the shoulders of a giant can see further than the giant, he is no less a dwarf in comparison with the giant.1937 W. Lewis Revenge for Love (1972) vii. i. 298 The dwarf had stopped in the street before the café.2003 Independent 11 Nov. ii. 5/1 More than 100 other dwarfs are staging a lobby of Parliament.γ. a1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesworth (Arun.) (1857) 167 Un pety neym [glossed] a dwarw.c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2062 Þe duerwe y seiȝe her ginne Þer he sat in þe tre.c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 6256 Dwerewes [a1425 Linc. Inn Durwes] also he bisette, Þikke and shorte. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 134 Dwerowe [a1500 BL Add. 37789 dwerwe, a1500 King's Cambr. dwerwh, 1516 de Worde dwerfe], nanus.?a1500 Nominale (Yale Beinecke 594) in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 806/9 Hic omunculus, a duorow.δ. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. l. 3391 (MED) Þe hote mery somers day No dwery is, but like a geant longe.a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) vi. l. 56 Now as a crepil lowe coorbid doun, Now a duery [a1500 Rawl. dueri, 1554 dwery] and now a champioun. b. figurative. A person or thing characterized as (relatively) inferior, unimportant, ineffectual, etc.; (also) a person who is insignificant or deficient in a particular respect. Often opposed to giant.In earliest use as a personification of an immaterial thing. ΚΠ 1575 T. Churchyard 1st Pt. Chippes sig. Bvii Proude blind consait, would not be placed last, Small witte would laugh, at wiser than him selfe, Disdaine that dwarfe, loekt like a piuishe elfe. 1631 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 2) (2nd state) cxxxvii. 339 He hath not given to all men the same stature of body, not the same strength of wit..; thus hath hee done also in matter of grace: there are spirituall dwarfes, there are giants. 1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (ed. 2) viii. 616 'Tis a poor boast to have out-gon Heathens and Turks in vertue and good works; to be taller than the dwarfs, as it were, and Pygmies of the world. 1707 J. Norris Pract. Treat. Humility v. 197 A dwarf in goodness. 1853 M. Howitt tr. F. Bremer Homes of New World I. vi. 110 What it now the state of the world during a long peace? Do not thousands of little dwarfs stick up their heads and fight with pins or pen-points? 1884 Baptist Missionary Mag. Aug. 318/1 Many men are moral dwarfs who might be giants. 1912 H. Belloc This & That 37 Many troubles that seem giants at evening are but dwarfs at sunrise. 1973 Times 13 Dec. 11/3 The [European] Community was an economic giant, but a political dwarf and..it was in danger of becoming an economic dwarf as well. 2015 W.Fanxi in G. Benton Unarmed Prophets iv. 346 By comparison with Zhou Enlai, Wang Ming was a mere dwarf. There was only one area where Wang Ming clearly excelled: in the tenacity with which he strove after the top place in the Party. 2. a. A plant or animal that is smaller than is usual for its kind or species (often as a result of selective propagation or breeding), or that is affected with dwarfism. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > appearance of plant > defined by size or stature > [noun] > small or large plant dwarf1593 plantleta1711 subdwarf1902 tall1909 the world > life > biology > biological processes > development, growth, or degeneration > [noun] > growth > vigorous growth > lack of > dwarfed creature pumilio1576 dwarf1593 1593 C. Hollyband Dict. French & Eng. Couät, or coat, the vnderling or dwarfe of any beast or foule. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 562 The young one [sc. a mule] so generated, is called Ginnus and Pumilio for it is a very dwarfe, according to the observation of Martiall [etc.]. 1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner i. vi. 65 When you graffe in the Cleft, if it be to make Dwarfs [Fr. un Nain], you must first saw your Stock four inches, or thereabouts, above ground. 1683 J. Reid Scots Gard'ner ii. v. 88 I think graffing in the Roots of Pears, will produce Dwarfs. 1719 G. London & H. Wise J. de la Quintinie's Compl. Gard'ner (ed. 7) 113 The Beauty of Dwarfs consists in a low Stem, an open Head. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xiv. 164 You will be glad to entertain this pretty dwarf [sc. the Persian Iris]. 1892 Rural New-Yorker 13 Aug. 521/1 He manages to give each one of the little horse dwarfs a thorough high school education. 1915 W. Haynes Pract. Dog Breeding iv. 75 Here was a hybrid, breeding absolutely true, a perfect dwarf produced from tall parents [sc. garden peas]. 1997 M. Derr Dog's Best Friend ii. 56 Others, like the Pomeranian, are ateliotic dwarfs, well-proportioned miniaturized dogs. 2016 N. Kingsbury Garden Flora 98 The opening up of Japan brought with it not only many good conifers, including some dwarfs derived from witch's brooms, particularly of Chamaecyparis obtusa (hinoki cypress), but also an awareness of bonsai. b. A thing that is smaller than most others of its kind. Usually followed by a phrase introduced by of, indicating the nature or class of the thing being denoted as a dwarf. ΚΠ 1828 Niles' Reg. 2 Feb. 371/1 Our little dwarf of a state [sc. Rhode Island]..contains a very respectable portion of the whole manufacturing business and the capital of the country. 1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton Night & Morning (ed. 2) I. viii. 164 She turned..towards a little, deformed, rickety dwarf of a sofa, that seemed to hide itself in the darkest corner of the low, gloomy room. 1932 Pacific Constructor 1 Sept. 4/1 Compared with New York, London is today a city of architectural dwarfs. 1982 D. Roberts Great Explor. Hoaxes vi. 96 They picked out an insignificant dwarf of a mountain, its summit less than six thousand feet high, and climbed it. 2019 Atlantic Online (Nexis) 11 June The original Macintosh was an adorable dwarf of a computer. About the size of a full-grown pug, its small footprint, built-in handle, and light weight made it easy to transport and stow. c. Astronomy. A star of relatively low luminosity and size, spec. a main sequence star, such as the sun; = dwarf star n. at Compounds 3. Also: a celestial object intermediate in size between a giant planet and a small star; = brown dwarf n.Often with preceding adjective denoting the spectral type; see red dwarf n.black dwarf, white dwarf, yellow dwarf: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > star > kind of star > small star > [noun] > dwarf dwarf star1911 dwarf1912 brown dwarf1975 1912 H. N. Russell in Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 51 574 It would be difficult to say whether a star of absolute magnitude near 1.0 should be regarded as an unusually faint giant star or an unusually bright dwarf. 1921 Discovery Sept. 236/1 After this stage is reached and the star attains a certain density, it falls off rapidly in temperature, and becomes a cooling dwarf. 1996 Sci. Amer. June 83/1 If the dwarf is not collapsing, the degeneracy pressure of the electrons and the gravitational collapse of the protons must just balance. 2007 T. Koupelis & K. F. Kuhn Quest Universe (ed. 5) xiv. 420/1 (caption) The dwarf is a companion to a much brighter star, Gliese 229. 2020 Express Online (Nexis) 22 Sept. These ultra-cool dwarfs are scattered all across the sky. 3. In Germanic (esp. Scandinavian) mythology and folklore, and (later) fantasy fiction, games, etc.: one of a class of beings, typically described as short, stocky, bearded, human-like creatures skilled in mining and metalworking, and sometimes as having magical or supernatural powers. Cf. dwarfish adj. 2.Later depictions of dwarfs in fantasy fiction, games, etc., have been particularly influenced by the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien concerning his fictional world of Middle Earth (see e.g. quot. 1937), and Tolkien's preferred plural spelling dwarves is now prevalent in these contexts; see discussion in the etymology section. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > dwarf dwarf1761 tokoloshe1833 dwerg1892 1761 T. Percy Let. June in Percy Lett. (1951) III. 13 The same I can assure you with regard to the Fairies: They held a very important rank in the Celtic Mythology... The Northern Nations called them Duergar or Dwarfs. 1770 T. Percy tr. P. H. Mallet Northern Antiq. I. vi. 106 They made of his scull the vault of heaven, which is supported by four dwarfs named South, North, East and West. 1818 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. 46 26 The history of Laurin, king of the dwarves. 1834 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pilgrims of Rhine xxvi. 286 The aged King of the Dwarfs that preside over the dull realms of lead. 1846 J. E. Taylor Fairy Ring Notes 363 The notion that the wicked elves or dwarfs had the power to steal children before their baptism is found also..in Iceland. 1937 J. R. R. Tolkien Hobbit i. 18 It was two more dwarves, both with blue hoods, silver belts, and yellow beards; and each of them carried a bag of tools and a spade. 1955 C. S. Lewis Surprised by Joy iii. 57 The old bright-hooded, snowy-bearded dwarfs we had in those days before Arthur Rackham sublimed, or Walt Disney vulgarised, the earthmen. 1974 G. Gygax & D. Arneson Dungeons & Dragons: Rules I. 12 Dwarves are more interested in gold, Magic-Users and elves desire magical items, and Clerics want..a place of worship in which to house themselves. 1998 Daily Mail 12 Nov. 57/1 Gnomes and dwarfs feature extensively in the legends and myths of many cultures. 2016 L. A. C. Rosen Memory Wall ii. 32 He doesn't like dwarves. They'd been his enemies for ages, tucked away underground. †II. A type of illness. 4. An illness, apparently characterized by fever (and perhaps other symptoms) and probably believed to be caused by a supernatural being or agency (cf. sense A. 3). Obsolete. ΚΠ OE Metrical Charm: Against Dwarf (Harl. 585) 1 Wið dweorh man sceal niman vii lytle oflætan..and writtan [read writan] þas naman on ælcre oflætan [etc.]. OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) x. 266 Dweorg onweg to donne, hwites hundes þost gecnucadne to duste..syle etan þam untruman men ær þær tide hys tocymes. ?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 31 Hwile he riþaþ, swylce he on dueorge sy [L. interdum, et febriunt]. B. adj. 1. a. In names of plants and animals that are naturally smaller than others of a related or (supposedly) similar kind.For more established uses of this type see Compounds 2.Originally and frequently corresponding to post-classical or scientific Latin plant names that begin with chamae- (see chamae- comb. form) or that include a descriptive adjective such as nanus (see nano- comb. form) or pumilus (see pumil adj.). ΚΠ 1548 W. Turner Names of Herbes sig. C.i^v Chamaecyparissus..may be called in englishe heath Cypres; because it groweth amonge heath, or dwarfe Cypres. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Ardea Ardea alba, a criell or dwarfe heron. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball ii. lvi. 222 The fifth kinde is called Testiculus odoratus, Testiculus pumilio: that is to say, sauerie Standel-wurte, or sweete Ballocke, and Dwarffe Orchis. 1597 J. Gerard Herball i. 3 Dwarfe grasse is the least of all grasses. 1651 J. French Art Distillation i. 39 Ebulus or Dwarfe Elder. 1695 W. Westmacott Historia Vegetabilium Sacra 222 Dwarf Willow is Salix Pumila Angustifolia. 1780 W. Smellie tr. Comte de Buffon Nat. Hist. Gen. & Particular VI. 240 The Zebu, or Dwarf Ox. 1789 W. Aiton Hortus Kewensis I. 323 Dwarf Gentian, or Gentianella. 1832 E. Lankester Veg. Substances Food 220 The dwarf kidney-bean..a native of India..erroneously called the French bean. 1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. V. 66 Dwarf Birch..a low shrub. 1939 E. D. Laborde tr. E. de Martonne Shorter Physical Geogr. (rev. ed.) xix. 293 Evergreen bushes predominate: conifers, like the mountain pine (Pinus montana), and the dwarf juniper (Juniperus nana), or shrubs with thick with thick leaves, like rhododendron. 1984 R. M. Pyle Audubon Soc. Handbk. for Butterfly Watchers v. 60 Immigrant Dwarf Yellows flew all about. 2009 M. A. Mitchell & T. N. Tully Man. Exotic Pet Pract. 342/2 Specific intestinal parasites identified in rats include the dwarf tapeworm (Hymenolepis nana). b. Of a plant or animal, or a variety, breed, or group of these: that is unusually small or short; spec. that is reduced in size by selective breeding or propagation or because of environmental or cultural conditions. Also: of, relating to, or characteristic of such plants or animals.See also Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xv. 95 The dwarfe or little hens [Fr. poules naines] do lay ofter than the other, but they are not so fit to be set on egges to bring foorth Chickens. 1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole iii. xix. 587 That [sc. the Paradise apple tree] being a dwarfe Tree, whatsoeuer fruit shall bee grafted on it, will keepe the graft low like vnto it selfe. 1699 J. Evelyn Acetaria 34 The French Minion a dwarf kind [of lettuce]. 1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. iii. 297 Sow these Dwarf annual Flowers. 1774 J. Gordon Planters, Florists, & Gardeners Pocket Dict. 46/1 When it [sc. a bramble] is planted in gardens it should be in a poor soil, which will keep it dwarfer. 1830 Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7 159 This is the dwarfest of all the Dahlias with which I am acquainted. 1881 W. Robinson Wild Garden (ed. 2) xiv. 158 The mossy, silvery, and purple saxifrages may be naturalised with the greatest ease on bare rocky or mountainous grounds, amidst dwarf vegetation. 1910 G. A. Reid Laws Heredity ix. 198 When two dwarf breeds of dogs are crossed the offspring tend to be larger than either parent. 1996 Pract. Gardening June 85/1 They [sc. irises] have every colour except red; old classic Victorian varieties right up to modern American forms, dwarf irises and the tallest bearded irises. 2015 C. Nardozzi Foodscaping iii. 125 Plant dwarf or semi-dwarf cherries as specimen trees in a yard. 2. figurative. Underdeveloped, weak, or inferior in extent, character, quality, etc.; puny; insignificant. Somewhat rare. ΚΠ 1634 C. Fitzgeffry Blessed Birth-day 23 Great is this Mysterie of Godlinesse Transcending mans dwarf-wit. 1852 E. F. Carlen Lover's Stratagem (1853) 43/1 My dwarf soul has certainly never cherished the presumptuous idea, of comparing itself..with the sublime genius enthroned in my dear cousin's matchless brain. 1985 S. Kanfer Internat. Garage Sale iii. 67 There was a melancholy undertow to those two words. A sense of something programmed in its genes to be incomplete, a dwarf affair. 3. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a person of unusually short stature; designating such a person, esp. one with dwarfism.Some of this evidence could alternatively be taken as showing use of the noun as a modifier; cf. Compounds 1a. ΚΠ a1635 T. Randolph Muses Looking-glasse v. i. 87 in Poems (1638) Their stature neither Dwarfe nor Gyantish. 1717 J. Hughes tr. Suetonius Lives XII. Cæsars II. 482 A Dwarf-Boy clad in Scarlet with a Head monstrously little, stood at his Feet, whom he talk'd to very much. 1869 P. T. Barnum Struggles & Triumphs xxxvii. 582 I heard of an extraordinary dwarf girl, named Lavinia Warren... An accomplished, beautiful and perfectly-developed woman in miniature. 1902 H. H. Johnston Uganda Protectorate II. xiv. 533 A little Dwarf woman who had resided..at Kampala..spoke perfect Kiswahili. 1984 J. Ablon Little People in Amer. xi. 161 In the very act of beginning to participate in LPA—to attend events in a room full of dozens, or..hundreds of other dwarfs—many members for the first time were forced to admit their own dwarf identity to themselves. 2005 B. K. Rothman Weaving Family ii. 22 Dwarves form a community..in the connection any..dwarf feels to the historic treatment of dwarf people. 4. a. Of unusually small size or low height; little, diminutive.Cf. earlier use specifically of plants and animals at sense B. 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > [adjective] shortc888 lowc1175 base1590 lowly1695 unlofty1729 squat1757 strunty1808 unhigh1811 dwarf1880 1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. i. 12 Those little dwarf Spirits, we call Elves and Fairies. 1858 Lowell (Mass.) Daily Citizen 24 May 1/6 New Lisborn, Ohio, is the ‘Dwarf City’... It is a small country town.., but presents in a remarkable degree all the appearance and characteristics of a well-ordered city. 1950 H. K. Smith State of Europe v. 99 In time, the dwarf state had absorbed two-thirds the area of Germany. 1969 V. Nabokov Ada i. xi. 68 Uncle Dan..was trying to read, with the aid of one of those dwarf dictionaries for undemanding tourists. 1971 R. Silverberg Son of Man xxxiii. 205 When darkness comes he camps at the foot of a dwarf mountain. b. spec. Designating an architectural feature, fixture, etc., built to a lower height than is usual. Also: designating an item of furniture made in a smaller than usual size.Recorded earliest in dwarf wall n. at Compounds 3. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > wall > other types of wall sidewall1381 brick wall1465 outwall1535 parpen1591 parapet1598 inwall?1611 breastwork1673 parapet wall1682 dwarf1718 screen1761 screen wall1770 hollow wall1823 alure1853 curtain wall1859 core-wall1899 blank wall1904 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > joist > support for raisingeOE raising-piece1286 summer1324 reasonc1330 rib-reasonc1350 wall-plate1394 wall-plat1420 summer-piecec1429 summer-tree1452 resourc1493 summer beam1519 wall-rase1523 girt1579 bridle1587 girder1611 out-footing1611 sommier1623 raising plate1637 trimmer1654 main beama1657 corbel1679 dwarf1718 brick trimmer1774 summer stonea1782 tail-trimmer1823 wood brick1842 1718 S. Switzer Ichnographia Rustica III. viii. 118 The End of this Parterre is fenc'd in from the Park with curious Iron Work, on Dwarf-Walls. 1819 W. H. Pyne Hist. Royal Resid. II. 32 The opposite side of the steps has dwarf wainscoting, with richly carved and moulded paneling. 1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 967 Dwarf Wainscoting, usually four, five or six feet high. 1880 M. E. Braddon Just as I Am vii There were dwarf bookcases between the windows. 1939 Burlington Mag. May p. xv/2 A Chippendale mahogany dwarf wardrobe. 1976 Britannia 7 177 The inner wall may have carried dwarf pillars. 2004 Archit. Hist. 47 151 The motif of Lombard friezes impressed under the string-courses, rises as dwarf arches under the roof like the icing around a cake. Compounds C1. a. As a modifier, with the sense ‘of, for, or belonging to a dwarf or dwarfs’ (now chiefly in sense A. 3). ΚΠ 1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum 28 It is reported by some of the Ancients; That Whelps, or other Creatures, if they be put Young, into such a Cage, or Boxe, as they cannot rise to their Stature, but may encrease in Breadth, or length; will growe accordingly, as they can gett Roome... It is a Meanes to produce Dwarfe Creatures. a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 240 The pygmie-warriour runs to fight In his dwarf-armour. 1884 F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads I. ii. xli. 361/2 A dwarf-king, elf-king, hill-king. 2018 C. Pramas Dwarf Warfare (new ed.) 19 A dwarf army brings more to the battlefield that it appears at first glance. b. As a modifier, with the sense ‘by a dwarf or dwarfs’ (chiefly in sense A. 3), as in dwarf-made, dwarf-mined, dwarf-worked, etc. ΚΠ 1818 J. Bentham Let. 1 Feb. in Corr. (1989) IX. 155 As to the existence of this dwarf sent letter you can scarcely be under any need of any thing from me to apprize you of it. 1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. iv. 143 A gold ring..right royally dwarf-worked. 1999 J. Dalmas Lion Returns xxii The very finest swords were dwarf made. 2009 Mythlore 28 39 Also called the Hidden King for his refuge in the Dwarf-hewn fortress of Menegroth. C2. In names of plants and animals. Cf. sense B. 1a. dwarf box n. a low-growing cultivated form of common box, Buxus sempervirens, used esp. for the edgings of parterres and paths; also called ground box. ΚΠ 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. xxxii. 699 The smal Boxe is called of some..in Latine, Humi Buxus: that is to say, Ground Boxe, or Dwarffe Boxe. 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 149 Dwarf-Box..is made use of for planting the..Edgings of Borders. 1839 R. Smith Cottagers' Bee-bk. 73 Thrift is a sort of grass that grow in tufts and is used for edging, near to paths in gardens, instead of dwarf box. 2011 W. C. Welch & G. Grant Heirloom Gardening in South 164 The shorter, more compact dwarf box normally stops growing at a height of less than three feet. dwarf honeysuckle n. (a) a low-growing perennial herbaceous plant of moorlands and mountains of Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, Cornus suecica (family Cornaceae), having an inflorescence consisting of tiny purple flowers surrounded by four white bracts, and globular red fruits (now historical and rare); (b) (chiefly U.S.) any of various relatively small honeysuckles (genus Lonicera) and bush honeysuckles (genus Diervilla) (family Caprifoliaceae). ΚΠ 1597 J. Gerard Herball iii. 1113 (caption) Chamæpericlymenum. Dwarfe Honisuckle. 1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 201 Cornus herbacea, dwarf honeysuckle, dwarf cornel. 1812 Catal. Forest Trees (W. A. & J. Mackie) 31 Lonicera Diervilla, Yellow Dwarf Honeysuckle. 1987 Systematic Bot. 12 507/2 C[ornus] suecica was first called chamaepericlymenum, dwarf honeysuckle. 2013 S. Williams Creating Prairie Xeriscape (rev. ed.) vii. 128 The dwarf honeysuckles are used as low hedging, in mixed borders and for massing. dwarf lemur n. any of several of the very small lemurs comprising the family Cheirogaleidae, the members of which are arboreal and nocturnal; (in later use) spec. a lemur of the genus Cheirogaleus. ΚΠ 1819 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) XIII. 405/1 M[aki] pusillus. Lemur pusillus... Dwarf lemur. 1909 T. Seymour Roosevelt in Afr. 476 The dwarf lemurs inhabit a belt of forest-land stretching from the eastern forest into the heart of Betsileo. 2013 New Scientist 11 May 17/1 The little-known Crossley's and Sibree's dwarf lemurs hibernate in underground burrows. dwarf mallow n. an annual Eurasian mallow with prostrate stems and small, lilac-veined white flowers, Malva neglecta. ΚΠ 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball v. xxiv. 581 The second wild kind which is the least, is called Malua sylvestris pumila, or Malua pumila, that is to say, the small wilde Hocke, or Dwarffe Mallowe. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxiv. 344 Dwarf Mallow has a prostrate stem. 1996 Chiltern Seeds Catal. 158 Dwarf Mallow. Procumbent annual native wild flower with stems covered in a star-shaped down. dwarf plane tree n. †(a) the guelder rose, Viburnum opulus, which has leaves somewhat resembling those of plane trees (obsolete); (b) a naturally or artificially dwarfed plane tree or (rarely) sycamore (now chiefly historical). ΚΠ 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. lxxx. 760 Of Marris Elder, Ople, or Dwarffe Plane tree. 1728 R. Bradley Dict. Botanicum at Aphaca Legumen Dwarf Plane-Tree. See Marish, or Water-Elder. 1886 G. Stables Cruise Land Yacht ‘Wanderer’ xxiv. 256 Here and there, as far as you can see, up through it grow wild dwarf oak bushes, their foliage crimson or carmine tipped, dwarf plane trees, with broad sienna leaves, that glitter in the sunshine as if they had been varnished. 1929 Geogr. Rev. 19 441 In either case it [sc. the ambulatio] was bordered by a fancifully cut box hedge or by dwarf plane trees. 2003 M. Carroll Earthly Paradises 86 Favourite plants in these gardens were ivy, box, laurel, cypress, myrtle, acanthus, dwarf plane trees and rosemary. C3. dwarf galaxy n. Astronomy a galaxy of relatively low luminosity and size.Dwarf galaxies are the most abundant type of galaxy. They typically contain fewer than 40 billion stars (and often fewer than a billion). The smallest ultra-faint dwarf galaxies may contain only a few tens of stars. ΚΠ 1928 W. J. L. Luyten Pageant of Stars 267 We might well consider them as dwarf galaxies. 1960 S. van den Bergh in Astrophysical Jrnl. 131 216 The nomenclature for the luminosity classes has been chosen to agree with that used in the Yerkes system of stellar luminosity classification: (I) supergiant galaxy, (II) bright giant galaxy, (III) normal giant galaxy, (IV) subgiant galaxy, and (V) dwarf galaxy. 2015 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Nov. 37/1 The experiment has made some interesting astrophysical findings, such as the discovery of 16 ultrafaint dwarf galaxy candidates in the Milky Way's backyard. dwarf signal n. Railways a low home signal (see home signal n. (b) at home n.¹ and adj. Compounds 2). ΚΠ 1870 Brit. Patent 2586 (1871) 3 The dwarf signal in connection with each pair of switches or points is by preference made in the form of an arrow. 1922 Times of India 4 Aug. (Engin. Suppl.) 3/1 In order to minimise the number of red lights which a driver would see at night in congested areas, the ‘Stop’ indication of the Dwarf Signal is purple instead of red. 2016 Trains Mag. Mar. 58 When the dwarf signal popped into view, a yellow restricting signal greeted us, which doesn't happen often. dwarf star n. Astronomy a star of relatively low luminosity and size, spec. a main sequence star; cf. sense A. 2c. ΚΠ 1911 H. N. Russell in Science 20 Oct. 524/1 These stars are probably similar to the stars of great luminosity to which Hertzsprung has called attention under the name of ‘giant stars’. The others may be called ‘dwarf stars’. 2004 B. Greene Fabric of Cosmos (2005) iii. x. 298 Since such supernova explosions occur when the dwarf star reaches the same critical mass, the characteristics of the explosion, including its overall intrinsic brightness, are largely the same from episode to episode. dwarf wall n. a low wall, esp. one forming the base for a railing, one supporting the joists under a floor, or some other superstructure, or one used as a retaining wall. ΚΠ 1718 S. Switzer Ichnographia Rustica III. viii. 118 The End of this Parterre is fenc'd in from the Park with curious Iron Work, on Dwarf-Walls. 1815 Morning Post 19 May His Royal Highness proposes to run a light open fence, with a dwarf wall base, so as to improve and diversify the prospect. 1905 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 13 Jan. 184/1 The whole structure should stand on a damp proof course over a dwarf wall of brick, concrete, or stone. 1914 Rec. Past Jan.–Feb. 4 The grave was covered by a flat pile of sand retained by a dwarf wall about 18 in. high. 2002 K. Wedd Victorian Soc. Bk. of Victorian House xii. 137 Timber conservatories were usually built on dwarf walls of brick or stone. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022). dwarfv. Brit. /dwɔːf/, U.S. /d(w)ɔrf/ Forms: 1600s dwarfe, 1600s– dwarf, 1800s– dwarv- (inflected form). Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: dwarf n. Etymology: < dwarf n.With inflected forms beginning dwarv- compare the note on the plural dwarves at dwarf n. and adj. 1. a. transitive. To restrict the physical growth or development of (a person, animal, plant, etc.); to prevent from reaching full or typical size; to reduce the stature of.Frequently used with reference to deliberate attempts to produce smaller specimens or varieties of plant. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > development, growth, or degeneration > [verb (transitive)] > types of growth elongc1420 stump1596 outgrow1597 stock1607 dwarf1623 stunt1679 1623 R. Abbot Hand of Fellowship 159 Fire incroacheth vpon the world in dwarfing the creatures. All things waxe lesse and lesse: things or persons ordinarily neither grow so great, nor continue so long, as they haue in former times. 1626 F. Bacon New Atlantis 35 in Sylua Syluarum We make them [sc. beasts and birds] Greater, or Taller, than their Kinde is; And contrary-wise Dwarfe them and stay their Grouth. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 98. ¶1 The whole Sex is in a Manner dwarfed and shrunk into a Race of Beauties that seems almost another Species. 1776 J. O. Justamond tr. G. T. F. Raynal Philos. Hist. Europeans in Indies III. xii. 254 Thus dwarft they extend their branches, so that they cover the whole spot around them. 1851 W. B. Carpenter Man. Physiol. (ed. 2) 251 Such a limitation of the supply, as would dwarf a Plant to any considerable extent, would be fatal to the life of an Animal. 1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species ix. 255 The seedlings were miserably dwarfed. 1984 Which? Dec. 561/2 Commercial growers..often dwarf the plants with chemicals. 2014 D. Barber Third Plate xxviii. 364 They took beautiful stuff like this,..and dwarfed it, dwarfing the roots, too, limiting their ability to uptake micronutrients from the soil. b. transitive. figurative. To render (a thing) small, weak, or inferior in extent, nature, character, etc.; to restrict or reverse the development of. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > reduce in size or extent [verb (transitive)] thinc900 narroweOE smalleOE slakea1300 adminisha1325 minisha1382 reduce?c1400 diminish1417 littlea1500 extenuate1555 enstraiten1590 scantle1596 scant1599 bedwarfa1631 epitomize1630 dwarf1638 retrench1640 stunt1659 to take in1700 belittle1785 dwarfify1816 reduct1819 micrify1836 clip1858 downsize1977 1638 W. Gilbert Let. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. cxcix. 494 He dwarfs his Understanding. 1690 J. Child Disc. Trade x. 193 Undoubtedly high Customs do as well dwarf Plantations as Trade. 1742 D. Hume Ess. Moral & Polit. II. v. 70 [In Greece] the Sciences, not being dwarf'd by the Restraint of Authority, were enabled to make such considerable Shoots, as are, even at this Time, the Objects of our Admiration. 1853 Ohio Observer (Hudson, Ohio) 30 Nov. 187/3 What is there in modern systems of theology, that dwarfs the soul, that blunts its sensibilities, that circumscribes benevolence, [etc.]? 1899 K. Chopin Awakening v. 27 [He] is never jealous; with him the gangrene passion is one which has become dwarfed by disuse. 1909 Kansas City Star 1 Nov. 7/1 She [sc. a mother who spoils her children] must realize that her self-abnegation is dwarfing their sense of responsibility. 1977 F. E. Vandiver Black Jack I. 184 Years of relatively inactive service since the Civil War had narrowed his vision and dwarfed his imagination. c. intransitive. To become or remain (relatively) undersized or underdeveloped; esp. (of a plant) to become dwarf; (of vegetation) to gradually decrease in size. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > become reduced in size or extent [verb (intransitive)] narrowOE waneOE smallOE slakec1380 welk1390 fade1398 lessenc1400 minish?a1425 decay1489 adminisha1500 diminish1520 to grow downwards?1523 ungrow1598 scant1607 settlea1642 to run off1765 dwarf1776 comminute1850 downsize1977 1776 Ld. Kames Gentleman Farmer i. vii. 137 The best crops are always at first; and they lessen gradually, because the plants dwarf gradually. 1858 Wisconsin Farmer Sept. 328/1 The Birch, the Larch, the Pine and the Fir are the principal forest trees along the upper skirt, and even these begin to dwarf after the line of 60° is crossed. 1917 Herald & Presbyter 21 Mar. 7/1 Man was created to live in God. Deprived of fellowship with him the moral and spiritual powers must go unnourished and sooner or later must begin to dwarf and die. 1996 T. S. H. Lake Hawk Woman Dancing with Moon i. 6 All around the meadow was an old forest whose trees were beginning to dwarf because of the higher elevation. 2019 J. Tullock Succulents at Home v. 132 Although it is capable of growing to treelike dimensions, this plant will dwarf if maintained in a relatively small container. 2. a. transitive. Of something large, important, or close to the viewer: to make (a person or thing) seem small or insignificant by comparison. ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > reduce in size or extent [verb (transitive)] > apparently dwarf1745 belittle1825 1745 E. Young Consolation 41 Vast Concave! Ample Dome! Wast thou design'd A meet Apartment for the Deity? Not so; That thought alone thy State impairs, thy lofty sinks, and shallows thy Profound, And streightens thy Diffusive; dwarfs the Whole, and makes an Universe an Orrery. 1797 J. Meikle Metaphysical Maxims 107 Our folly will dwarf even the gigantic folly of materialists themselves, if we believe the immortality of our souls, and yet give ourselves no concern where they shall be lodged or how employed after death. 1850 Chambers' s Papers for People IV. 3 It overshadowed and dwarfed the sinking throne of the Merovingian kings of France. 1894 G. M. Fenn In Alpine Valley I. 40 A herd of these [goats] on the other side of the valley, seemed to be dwarfed to the size of rabbits. 1940 H. Channon Diary 13 May in R. R. James Chips (1967) vi. 252 That little gad-fly looked smaller and more insignificant than ever on the Government Front Bench, dwarfed by Winston. 1978 J. P. Stern Nietzsche iv. 51 The idea of a past grandeur dwarfing the present..is likely to strike us as familiar. 2007 C. Schine in N.Y. Times Mag. 2 Dec. 28/1 It was Alison, dwarfed by an enormous, brightly colored golf umbrella. b. intransitive. To appear or seem smaller or less significant in comparison to something larger or more important, or through being viewed from a distance. ΚΠ 1832 Ld. Tennyson Dream Fair Women xlii, in Poems (new ed.) 132 By [Allen MS beside] him [sc. Mark Antony] great Pompey dwarfs and suffers pain, a mortal man before immortal Mars. 1915 Indians N. Carolina 183 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (63rd Congr., 3rd Sess.: Senate Doc. 677) IV The rapid encroachment of the whites on the lands of the Tuscarora and their Indian neighbors..were wrongs which dwarfed in comparison with the continued practice of kidnaping their young to be sold into slavery. 1955 Dis. Chest Jan. 109 Spectacular as this sight was, it dwarfed next to the intangible values represented by the scientific contributions brought together at this congress. 2008 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) (Nexis) 22 Nov. (77 Square section) 36 As big as the Monty Python set is, it dwarfs in comparison to some of the other massive TV-on-DVD sets that have come out in recent weeks. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022). < n.adj.eOEv.1623
随便看	well-dealt well-deck well-decked well-decker well-deeded well-deemed well-defenced well-defended well-defined well-delivered well-demeaned well-derived well-descended well-deserved well-deserver well-deserving well-deservingness well-designed well-designing well-desired well-determined well-developed well-devised well-dieted well-digested

dwarfn.adj.

Compounds

dwarfv.