elfinadj.n.

Brit.

/ˈɛlfɪn/, U.S.

/ˈɛlfən/

Forms: Also 1500s–1600s elphyne, elphin, ? 1700s Scottish elfan.

Etymology: Obscurely < elf n.¹; apparently first used by Spenser, and perhaps suggested to him by the phrase elvene land ‘land of elves’ (see elven n.); the proper name Elphin in the Arthurian romances may possibly have influenced the form.

A. adj.

1. Pertaining to elves; of elfish nature or origin.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [adjective]

elvishc1386

elfish1542

fairy1549

elfin1590

elfic1872

elven1937

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. iv. sig. D6 Him litle answerd th'angry Elfin knight.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. x. sig. K6 A Faery..her base Elfin brood there for thee left. Such men do Chaungelings call.

1673 Elphin Knight i, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1882) I. i. 15/1 The elphin knight sits on yon hill.

1747 W. Collins Odes 14 His Loveliest Elfin Queen has blest.

1792 S. Rogers Pleasures Mem. i. 117 Heroes..Whose elfin prowess scaled the orchard-wall.

1808 W. Scott Marmion iii. xxvi. 159 The Elfin Knight fell horse and man.

1820 J. Keats Eve of St. Agnes in Lamia & Other Poems 102 Hark! 'tis an elfin-storm from faery land.

1828 T. Carlyle Goethe's Helena in Foreign Rev. 1 464 There is a quick, pure, small-toned music in them, as perhaps of elfin bells when the Queen of Faery rides by moonlight.

2. transferred.

a. Diminutive, dwarfish.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [adjective]

shorta900

littleOE

lowa1398

untallc1535

dwarfish1542

shrimpish1549

pygmy1592

shrubby1603

dapper1606

punya1616

runtisha1642

truss1674

sesquipedalian1741

smally1764

petite1766

elfin1796

scram1825

squibbish1826

gnomic1845

dwarf-like1850

knee-high to a grasshopper1851

underhanded1856

nanoid1857

whipping-snapping1861

scrunty1868

midget1875

short-set1883

sawed-off1887

strunty1897

munchkin1930

sawn-off1936

short-arsed1951

1796 S. T. Coleridge Poems Var. Subj. 29 The elfin tribe..Releas'd from school.

b. Fairy-like, full of strange charm.

ΚΠ

1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens III. xvi. ii. 191 From childhood she had been a bright and elfin creature.

B. n.

1. = elf n.¹; also attributive.

ΘΚΠ

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

elfOE

elvena1100

spiritc1350

fay1393

fairyc1405

mammeta1425

sprite?1440

lady1538

faerie1579

Robin Goodfellow1588

elfin1590

pigwidgeon1594

pygmy1611

fairess1674

peri1739

spriggan1754

fane1806

glendoveer1810

vila1827

Polong1839

Gandharva1846

elle-maid1850

sheogue1852

hillman1882

elvet1885

pishogue1906

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. x. sig. K5^v And thou faire ymp..accompted Elfins sonne.

1807 G. Crabbe Birth Flattery in Poems 196 A wicked Elfin, rov'd this Land around.

1840 T. Hood Up Rhine 65 Elfins..swarm in its romantic mythology.

1864 W. W. Skeat tr. J. L. Uhland Songs & Ballads 307 Darling, join the elfin-dance 'Neath the stars' and moonlight's glance.

†2. Scottish ? Elf-land.

ΚΠ

1567–83 Simpill Ballades 210 Ane carling of the Quene of Phareis The ewill win geir to elphyne careis.

a1800 Q. of Elfan's Nourice iii, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1884) I. ii. 359/1 Waken, Queen of Elfan, An hear your nourice moan.

a1802 Young Tamlane vi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1884) I. ii. 508/1 The Queen o Elfin will gie a cry.

3. transferred. A child.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > child > [noun]

wenchelc890

childeOE

littleOE

littlingOE

hired-childc1275

smalla1300

brolla1325

innocentc1325

chickc1330

congeonc1330

impc1380

faunt1382

young onec1384

scionc1390

weea1400

birdc1405

chickenc1440

enfaunta1475

small boyc1475

whelp1483

burden1490

little one1509

brat?a1513

younkerkin1528

kitling1541

urchin1556

loneling1579

breed1586

budling1587

pledge?1587

ragazzo1591

simplicity1592

bantling1593

tadpole1594

two-year-old1594

bratcheta1600

lambkin1600

younker1601

dandling1611

buda1616

eyas-musketa1616

dovelinga1618

whelplinga1618

puppet1623

butter printa1625

chit1625

piggy1625

ninnyc1626

youngster1633

fairya1635

lap-child1655

chitterling1675

squeaker1676

cherub1680

kid1690

wean1692

kinchin1699

getlingc1700

totum17..

charity-child1723

small girl1734

poult1739

elfin1748

piggy-wiggy1766

piccaninny1774

suck-thumb18..

teeny1802

olive1803

sprout1813

stumpie1820

sexennarian1821

totty1822

toddle1825

toddles1828

poppet1830

brancher1833

toad1836

toddler1837

ankle-biter1840

yarkera1842

twopenny1844

weeny1844

tottykins1849

toddlekins1852

brattock1858

nipper1859

sprat1860

ninepins1862

angelet1868

tenas man1870

tad1877

tacker1885

chavvy1886

joey1887

toddleskin1890

thumb-sucker1891

littlie1893

peewee1894

tyke1894

che-ild1896

kiddo1896

mother's bairn1896

childling1903

kipper1905

pick1905

small1907

God forbid1909

preadolescent1909

subadolescent1914

toto1914

snookums1919

tweenie1919

problem child1920

squirt1924

trottie1924

tiddler1927

subteen1929

perisher1935

poopsie1937

pre-schooler1937

pre-teen1938

pre-teener1940

juvie1941

sprog1944

pikkie1945

subteenager1947

pre-teenager1948

pint-size1954

saucepan lid1960

rug rat1964

smallie1984

bosom-child-

1748 W. Shenstone School-mistress xv, in R. Dodsley Coll. Poems (ed. 2) I. 253 In those Elfins' ears, [she] would oft deplore The times.

1805 J. Grahame Sabbath (ed. 2) 84 Then would he teach the elfins how to plait The rushy cap.

4. elfin-tree n. a dwarfed tree found commonly in alpine regions. elfin-wood n. a wood composed of such trees. Hence elfin timber, elfin woodland.

ΚΠ

1903 W. R. Fisher tr. A. F. W. Schimper Plant-geogr. iii. ii. 704 We contrast alpine grassland, alpine shrubland, and alpine desert with those of the lowlands, and retain for alpine forest merely the title elfin-wood. Note, ‘Elfin-wood’ and ‘elfin-tree’ are the terms introduced here as the equivalents of ‘Krummholz’.

1903 W. R. Fisher tr. A. F. W. Schimper Plant-geogr. iii. ii. 705 Elfin-tree..is characterized by a short, gnarled, often oblique or horizontal stem, and long serpentine branches, which are bent in all directions.

1929 J. E. Weaver & F. E. Clements Plant Ecol. xi. 257 The gnarled, sprawling, much-branched, elfin timber grows through the short summer of high altitudes.

1952 P. W. Richards Trop. Rain Forest xvi. 346 In many places..the Montane Rain forest consists of dwarf crooked trees smothered with..mosses; this very characteristic type of vegetation is often called..Elfin woodland.

Derivatives

ˈelfindom n. the estate of the elves.Apparently an isolated use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > state of being

spritehood1821

elfhood1837

elfindom1886

1886 Harper's Mag. May 838 The traditional type of elfindom.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	elfin
释义	elfinadj.n. Brit. /ˈɛlfɪn/, U.S. /ˈɛlfən/ Forms: Also 1500s–1600s elphyne, elphin, ? 1700s Scottish elfan. Etymology: Obscurely < elf n.¹; apparently first used by Spenser, and perhaps suggested to him by the phrase elvene land ‘land of elves’ (see elven n.); the proper name Elphin in the Arthurian romances may possibly have influenced the form. A. adj. 1. Pertaining to elves; of elfish nature or origin. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [adjective] elvishc1386 elfish1542 fairy1549 elfin1590 elfic1872 elven1937 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. iv. sig. D6 Him litle answerd th'angry Elfin knight. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. x. sig. K6 A Faery..her base Elfin brood there for thee left. Such men do Chaungelings call. 1673 Elphin Knight i, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1882) I. i. 15/1 The elphin knight sits on yon hill. 1747 W. Collins Odes 14 His Loveliest Elfin Queen has blest. 1792 S. Rogers Pleasures Mem. i. 117 Heroes..Whose elfin prowess scaled the orchard-wall. 1808 W. Scott Marmion iii. xxvi. 159 The Elfin Knight fell horse and man. 1820 J. Keats Eve of St. Agnes in Lamia & Other Poems 102 Hark! 'tis an elfin-storm from faery land. 1828 T. Carlyle Goethe's Helena in Foreign Rev. 1 464 There is a quick, pure, small-toned music in them, as perhaps of elfin bells when the Queen of Faery rides by moonlight. 2. transferred. a. Diminutive, dwarfish. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [adjective] shorta900 littleOE lowa1398 untallc1535 dwarfish1542 shrimpish1549 pygmy1592 shrubby1603 dapper1606 punya1616 runtisha1642 truss1674 sesquipedalian1741 smally1764 petite1766 elfin1796 scram1825 squibbish1826 gnomic1845 dwarf-like1850 knee-high to a grasshopper1851 underhanded1856 nanoid1857 whipping-snapping1861 scrunty1868 midget1875 short-set1883 sawed-off1887 strunty1897 munchkin1930 sawn-off1936 short-arsed1951 1796 S. T. Coleridge Poems Var. Subj. 29 The elfin tribe..Releas'd from school. b. Fairy-like, full of strange charm. ΚΠ 1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens III. xvi. ii. 191 From childhood she had been a bright and elfin creature. B. n. 1. = elf n.¹; also attributive. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] elfOE elvena1100 spiritc1350 fay1393 fairyc1405 mammeta1425 sprite?1440 lady1538 faerie1579 Robin Goodfellow1588 elfin1590 pigwidgeon1594 pygmy1611 fairess1674 peri1739 spriggan1754 fane1806 glendoveer1810 vila1827 Polong1839 Gandharva1846 elle-maid1850 sheogue1852 hillman1882 elvet1885 pishogue1906 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. x. sig. K5^v And thou faire ymp..accompted Elfins sonne. 1807 G. Crabbe Birth Flattery in Poems 196 A wicked Elfin, rov'd this Land around. 1840 T. Hood Up Rhine 65 Elfins..swarm in its romantic mythology. 1864 W. W. Skeat tr. J. L. Uhland Songs & Ballads 307 Darling, join the elfin-dance 'Neath the stars' and moonlight's glance. †2. Scottish ? Elf-land. ΚΠ 1567–83 Simpill Ballades 210 Ane carling of the Quene of Phareis The ewill win geir to elphyne careis. a1800 Q. of Elfan's Nourice iii, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1884) I. ii. 359/1 Waken, Queen of Elfan, An hear your nourice moan. a1802 Young Tamlane vi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1884) I. ii. 508/1 The Queen o Elfin will gie a cry. 3. transferred. A child. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > child > [noun] wenchelc890 childeOE littleOE littlingOE hired-childc1275 smalla1300 brolla1325 innocentc1325 chickc1330 congeonc1330 impc1380 faunt1382 young onec1384 scionc1390 weea1400 birdc1405 chickenc1440 enfaunta1475 small boyc1475 whelp1483 burden1490 little one1509 brat?a1513 younkerkin1528 kitling1541 urchin1556 loneling1579 breed1586 budling1587 pledge?1587 ragazzo1591 simplicity1592 bantling1593 tadpole1594 two-year-old1594 bratcheta1600 lambkin1600 younker1601 dandling1611 buda1616 eyas-musketa1616 dovelinga1618 whelplinga1618 puppet1623 butter printa1625 chit1625 piggy1625 ninnyc1626 youngster1633 fairya1635 lap-child1655 chitterling1675 squeaker1676 cherub1680 kid1690 wean1692 kinchin1699 getlingc1700 totum17.. charity-child1723 small girl1734 poult1739 elfin1748 piggy-wiggy1766 piccaninny1774 suck-thumb18.. teeny1802 olive1803 sprout1813 stumpie1820 sexennarian1821 totty1822 toddle1825 toddles1828 poppet1830 brancher1833 toad1836 toddler1837 ankle-biter1840 yarkera1842 twopenny1844 weeny1844 tottykins1849 toddlekins1852 brattock1858 nipper1859 sprat1860 ninepins1862 angelet1868 tenas man1870 tad1877 tacker1885 chavvy1886 joey1887 toddleskin1890 thumb-sucker1891 littlie1893 peewee1894 tyke1894 che-ild1896 kiddo1896 mother's bairn1896 childling1903 kipper1905 pick1905 small1907 God forbid1909 preadolescent1909 subadolescent1914 toto1914 snookums1919 tweenie1919 problem child1920 squirt1924 trottie1924 tiddler1927 subteen1929 perisher1935 poopsie1937 pre-schooler1937 pre-teen1938 pre-teener1940 juvie1941 sprog1944 pikkie1945 subteenager1947 pre-teenager1948 pint-size1954 saucepan lid1960 rug rat1964 smallie1984 bosom-child- 1748 W. Shenstone School-mistress xv, in R. Dodsley Coll. Poems (ed. 2) I. 253 In those Elfins' ears, [she] would oft deplore The times. 1805 J. Grahame Sabbath (ed. 2) 84 Then would he teach the elfins how to plait The rushy cap. 4. elfin-tree n. a dwarfed tree found commonly in alpine regions. elfin-wood n. a wood composed of such trees. Hence elfin timber, elfin woodland. ΚΠ 1903 W. R. Fisher tr. A. F. W. Schimper Plant-geogr. iii. ii. 704 We contrast alpine grassland, alpine shrubland, and alpine desert with those of the lowlands, and retain for alpine forest merely the title elfin-wood. Note, ‘Elfin-wood’ and ‘elfin-tree’ are the terms introduced here as the equivalents of ‘Krummholz’. 1903 W. R. Fisher tr. A. F. W. Schimper Plant-geogr. iii. ii. 705 Elfin-tree..is characterized by a short, gnarled, often oblique or horizontal stem, and long serpentine branches, which are bent in all directions. 1929 J. E. Weaver & F. E. Clements Plant Ecol. xi. 257 The gnarled, sprawling, much-branched, elfin timber grows through the short summer of high altitudes. 1952 P. W. Richards Trop. Rain Forest xvi. 346 In many places..the Montane Rain forest consists of dwarf crooked trees smothered with..mosses; this very characteristic type of vegetation is often called..Elfin woodland. Derivatives ˈelfindom n. the estate of the elves.Apparently an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > state of being spritehood1821 elfhood1837 elfindom1886 1886 Harper's Mag. May 838 The traditional type of elfindom. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1567
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