gnomus
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Pronunciation
Forms
gnomus m (genitive gnomī); second declension[1]
Etymology
It was coined in the 16th century by Paracelsus.[1][2] The source is uncertain: perhaps a compound of Ancient Greek γῆ (gê, “earth”) and νομός (nomós, “dwelling”), “earth-dweller”;[1][2] less likely γνώμη (gnṓmē, “judgment, intelligence”).[1][2]
Earliest recorded meaning
Paracelsus gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to the elemental beings of the earth.[2][1]
Semantic evolution
Later writers used it for the little men believed to live in mines, whom Germans called Schrötlein or Bergmännlein, and noted that Paracelsus seems to call them gnomi.[3] French took it as gnome in the 16th century, and English in 1712.[2]
Timeline
- 16th century – Paracelsus names the earth spirits gnomi.[2][1]
- 1712 – English borrows gnome from French.[2]
Meanings
Noun
- (New Latin) A gnome, an elemental spirit of the earth, likened to the pygmies of the Greeks.[1][2][3]
Related words
- English gnome