DWARF (dwarves)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: dwarves   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dwarf mean? 

• DWARF (noun)
  The noun DWARF has 3 senses:

1. a person who is markedly small

2. a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure

3. a plant or animal that is atypically small

  Familiarity information: DWARF used as a noun is uncommon.

• DWARF (verb)
  The verb DWARF has 2 senses:

1. make appear small by comparison

2. check the growth of

  Familiarity information: DWARF used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DWARF (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person who is markedly small

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

dwarf; midget; nanus

Hypernyms ("dwarf" is a kind of...):

small person (a person of below average size)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dwarf"):

hypophysial dwarf; Levi-Lorrain dwarf; pituitary dwarf (a dwarf whose condition is caused by a deficiency of growth hormones, rather than by genetic factors (as in the case of the achondroplastic dwarf))

hypoplastic dwarf; normal dwarf; primordial dwarf; true dwarf (an achondroplastic dwarf whose small size is the result of a genetic defect; body parts and mental and sexual development are normal)

Derivation:

dwarf (check the growth of)

dwarf (make appear small by comparison)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

dwarf; gnome

Hypernyms ("dwarf" is a kind of...):

faerie; faery; fairy; fay; sprite (a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dwarf"):

Nibelung ((German mythology) any of the group of dwarfs who possessed a treasure hoard that was stolen by Siegfried)

Andvari ((Norse mythology) a dwarf who possessed a treasure that was stolen by Loki)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A plant or animal that is atypically small

Classified under:

Nouns with no superordinates

Hypernyms ("dwarf" is a kind of...):

being; organism (a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently)

• DWARF (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they dwarf    ... he / she / it dwarfs   
Past simple: dwarfed   
Past participle: dwarfed   
-ing form: dwarfing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make appear small by comparison

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

dwarf; overshadow; shadow

Context example:

This year's debt dwarfs that of last year

Hypernyms (to "dwarf" is one way to...):

command; dominate; overlook; overtop (look down on)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

dwarf (a person who is markedly small)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Check the growth of

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

the lack of sunlight dwarfed these pines

Hypernyms (to "dwarf" is one way to...):

stunt (check the growth or development of)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

dwarf (a person who is markedly small)

 Context examples 

Mysterious objects called brown dwarfs are sometimes called "failed stars."

(Powerful Auroras Found at Brown Dwarf, NASA)

And the dwarf married the youngest and the best of the princesses, and was king after her father’s death; but his two brothers married the other two sisters.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

In front of this creature was an absurd mannikin, or dwarf, in human form, who stood staring at it.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This new model allowed scientists to evaluate the effects of Proxima B's possible orbits and likely exposure to radiation and solar flares from its red dwarf sun on two types of atmospheres.

(Simulations show planet orbiting Proxima Centauri could have liquid water, Wikinews)

But newly published studies from Dawn scientists show two distinct lines of evidence for ice at or near the surface of the dwarf planet.

(Where is the Ice on Ceres?, NASA)

A dwarf is a person of short stature - under 4' 10" as an adult.

(Dwarfism, NIH)

Although dwarf mice with defective growth hormone or IGF-1 signaling also have significantly increased lifespan, humans with defects in growth hormone signaling tend to develop diseases that shorten their lifespan.

(Longevity Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

My master—here he looked round him and began to whisper—is a tall, fine build of a man, and this was more of a dwarf.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Located beyond Neptune's orbit, the belt comprises icy objects and rocks—among them four dwarf planets: Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea.

(Brazil astronomers discover ring around dwarf planet near Pluto, Agência Brasil)

Their distribution throughout the dwarf planet's crust indicates Ceres' surface material has been altered by a global process involving water.

(Ceres' Geological Activity, Ice Revealed in New Research, NASA)