Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dwarf” come from?

Dwarf comes from Middle English dwergh, from Old English dweorg, from Proto-Germanic dwergaz, a word of uncertain origin and meaning.

dwarf (English): Any member of a race of beings from folklore,...

Definitions

  1. Any member of a race of beings from folklore,...

Ancestry of “dwarf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdwerghdwarf
2Old Englishdweorgdwarf
3Proto-West Germanicdwergdwarf
4Proto-Germanicdwergazdwarf

Words derived from “dwarf”

  • dwarfish
  • dwarfism
  • subdwarf
  • semidwarf
  • dwarfishness
  • dwarflike
  • dwarfness
  • dwarvish
  • dwarfess
  • dwarfishly
  • dwarfy
  • dwarfdom
  • bedwarf
  • Dwarfer
  • dwarfling
  • dwarfeth
  • dwarfsploitation
  • weredwarf
  • ドワーフ
Every word from Proto-Germanic dwergaz →