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prettygoodwordgnome (NOHM) - n., in Paracelsian occult philosophy, the elemental being of earth; in folklore, one of a fabled race of short, human-like creatures who live underground, often depicted as guarding treasures or mines; (derog.) a banker, especially a secretive international one.
Through the folkloric process, that second sense has morphed into those red-capped fellows most often seen on lawns. The Official Management Term for that last sense is "the gnomes of Zurich." There's also some other derivative senses, such as a species of pygmy owl and (slang) a short person. And speaking of pygmies, Paracelsus used (in New Latin) both gnomus and pygmaeus as his name for an earth elemental, but only the former caught on. As for how he coined gnomus, we don't really know -- the best speculation is a compound of Ancient Greek gê, earth + nomós, dwelling. (It's sometimes claimed it's from Ancient Greek gnṓmē, knowledge/wisdom, but that's a confusion from the other word spelled gnome, meaning aphorism.)
---L.
Through the folkloric process, that second sense has morphed into those red-capped fellows most often seen on lawns. The Official Management Term for that last sense is "the gnomes of Zurich." There's also some other derivative senses, such as a species of pygmy owl and (slang) a short person. And speaking of pygmies, Paracelsus used (in New Latin) both gnomus and pygmaeus as his name for an earth elemental, but only the former caught on. As for how he coined gnomus, we don't really know -- the best speculation is a compound of Ancient Greek gê, earth + nomós, dwelling. (It's sometimes claimed it's from Ancient Greek gnṓmē, knowledge/wisdom, but that's a confusion from the other word spelled gnome, meaning aphorism.)
---L.
