819: gnome Mar 6, 2017

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The word 'gnome' does not have any agreed-upon origin, but that doesn't mean that the theories do not follow just as logical patterns as more certain etymologies. 'Gnomus' was a term that Paracelsus used to mean 'Pygmaeus' ('pygmy'), and denoted a race of very small people who supposedly lived in Ethiopia and India. One theory states that this word  comes from the Greek 'genomos' meaning "earth-dweller" which would follow the same pattern with 'thalassonomos' meaning "sea-dweller'; the E would have only been left out as an error in transliteration if this is true. Another theory states that the word comes from the homonym meaning 'intelligence'. That word comes from the Greek 'gnomikos', from 'gnome' meaning, 'mind', ultimately from the base for 'gignoskein' which means 'to learn; this is where English gets—among other words—'diagnosis'. Alternatively, this word could have just been fabricated by Paracelsus. If it is true that 'gnome' is simply made up, this would not be the only instance of an invented word for a small humanoid creature entering common vernacular; L. Frank Baum is credited with creating the word, 'munchkin', first used in 'The Wizard of Oz", which is now popularly used to refer to children or short people.

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For more on 'pygmy' and 'dwarf': click here

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