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dwarves
US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(dwôrvz)
- From dwarf (n):
- dwarfs
- npl
- dwarves
- npl
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026dwarves
(dwôrvz),USA pronunciation n.
- a pl. of dwarf.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026dwarf /dwɔrf/USA pronunciation
n., pl. dwarfs, dwarves /dwɔrvz/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- Pathologya person of abnormally small size.
- Botany, Zoologyan animal or plant much smaller than the average.
- Mythologya small, imaginary being, often represented as a tiny old man, who is skilled as a worker and has magical powers.
adj. [before a noun]
- of unusually small stature or size:dwarf marigolds.
v. [~ + object]
- to cause to seem small in size, etc., as by being much larger:This current budget crisis dwarfs all our previous troubles.
dwarf•ish, adj.
dwarf•ism, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026dwarf
(dwôrf ),USA pronunciation n., pl. dwarfs, dwarves, adj., v. n. - Pathologya person of abnormally small stature owing to a pathological condition, esp. one suffering from cretinism or some other disease that produces disproportion or deformation of features and limbs.
- Botany, Zoologyan animal or plant much smaller than the average of its kind or species.
- Mythology(in folklore) a being in the form of a small, often misshapen and ugly, man, usually having magic powers.
- AstronomySee dwarf star.
adj. - of unusually small stature or size;
diminutive.
v.t. - to cause to appear or seem small in size, extent, character, etc., as by being much larger or better:He dwarfed all his rivals in athletic ability.
- to make dwarf or dwarfish;
prevent the due development of.
v.i. - to become stunted or smaller.
- bef. 900; Middle English dwerf, Old English dweorh; replacing Middle English dwerg, Old English dweorg; cognate with Old High German twerg, Old Norse dvergr
1. Dwarf, midget, pygmy are terms for a very small person. A dwarf is someone checked in growth or stunted, or in some way not normally formed. A midget (not in technical use) is someone perfect in form and normal in function, but diminutive. A pygmy is properly a member of one of certain small-sized peoples of Africa and Asia, but the word is often used imprecisely to mean dwarf or midget. Dwarf is a term often used to describe very small plants. Pygmy is used to describe very small animals. 2. runt, miniature.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dwarf /dwɔːf/ n ( pl dwarfs, dwarves /dwɔːvz/)- an unusually short person
- an animal or plant much below the average height for the species
- (as modifier): a dwarf tree
- (in folklore) a small ugly manlike creature, often possessing magical powers
vb - to become or cause to become comparatively small in size, importance, etc
- (transitive) to stunt the growth of
Etymology: Old English dweorg; related to Old Norse dvergr, Old High German twercˈdwarfish adj
'dwarves' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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