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elf

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.

elf

In early Germanic folklore, a dwarfish supernatural being. Elves were believed to be mischievous characters who often interfered in human affairs.

They stole young children, swapping them for changelings; they visited people in their sleep and gave them nightmares, and sometimes inflicted them with diseases; and with their elf-bolts they struck down human beings and cattle alike. They also elf-locked women's hair, tangling it into a matted mess, which it was considered unlucky to undo.



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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
I will begin with you, Sunny Lock," added she, turning to a lovely little Elf, who lay among the fragrant leaves of a primrose.
Flower Fables by Alcott, Louisa May View in context
) Bring thee to meet his shadow (nameless elf, That haunteth the lone regions where hath trod No foot of man,) commend thyself to God!
Poems by Poe, Edgar Allan View in context
Beholding it, Hester was constrained to rush towards the child -- to pursue the little elf in the flight which she invariably began -- to snatch her to her bosom with a close pressure and earnest kisses -- not so much from overflowing love as to assure herself that Pearl was flesh and blood, and not utterly delusive.
The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne, Nathaniel View in context
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