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gnome
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gnome

In folklore, a small, mischievous spirit of the earth or mountain. The males are bearded, wear tunics and hoods, and often conceal treasure in their underground dwellings.

The term is said to have originated in the 16th century with Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus, who took the word from the Greek gnome ‘intelligence’, and used it synonymously with the Pygmaei (in Greek mythology, a race of dwarfs said to have lived in north Africa).



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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
A stooped, gnomish figure barred from all of life's joys, incapable of communicating coherently with the outside world, he suggests Diogenes or a Zen monk, relinquishing everything to pursue knowledge.
Stripped to the bone: David Cronenberg's Spider by Alioff, Maurie / Take One
The temptation to identify the two, to see the artist as an apparatus, a wire eye, or gnomish version of Leonardo's geometric man, was enjoined by the artist's own representative.
ROBERT MILLER GALLERY by Worth, Alexi / Artforum International
The 68-year-old Wada cuts a gnomish figure as he pads into his cavernous living room, a gaggle of aides fluttering in his wake.
TYCOON BETS ON TIMING OF CHINA STORE by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
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