gnome

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek γνώμη (gnṓmē, “thought, opinion”), from the base of γιγνώσκειν (gignṓskein, “to know”).

noun

1. A brief reflection or maxim; a pithy saying.
   1996, Giambattista Vico, Giorgio A. Pinton, Arthur W. Shippee (translators), The Art of Rhetoric, [1711-1741, Giambattista Vico, Institutiones Oratoriae], page 125, The Greeks in their tongue call this second type of maxim noema. The gnome is more appropriate to the philosophers, and the noema to the orators, to the poets, and to the historians. To speak by gnomes alone was referred to by the Greeks as "philosophizing" which we Italians would render as "to mouth maxims" (sputar sentenze).
   Thus, the gnome concerning the precarious nature of, and the potential suffering in, human life sent by the gods uttered by Electra is deconstructed by her choice of paradigm. By using Tantalos as an illustration, the play overturns the apparent meaning of the gnome. 2003, Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood, Tragedy and Athenian Religion, page 386

Etymology 2

From French gnome (“gnome”), from New Latin gnomus, used by Paracelsus as a synonym for pygmaeus (“pygmy”).

noun

1. (magic, alchemy, Rosicrucianism) An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth.
   He adopts the Rosycrusian fancy of Gnomes, spirits which inhabit the earth, and who by their power form the ores of metals, and all the wonders met with in the inmost recesses of the globe. 1811, The Medical and Physical Journal, volume 25, page 138
   Gnomes are perhaps the most useful of the elementals. A gnome can carry a person with it as it swims through the soil, provided it is strong enough to lift the person. The gnome cannot, however, provide air for that person[…]. 2006, Greg Lynch, RuneQuest Monsters, page 52
   Elementals are the consciousness guiding the four classical elements of earth, fire, air, and water. These elementals are depicted as gnomes, salamanders, diminutive faeries known as sylphs, and merfolk, known as undines, respectively. 2007, Christopher Penczak, Ascension Magick: Ritual, Myth and Healing for the New Aeon, page 413
2. (mythology, fantasy) One of a race of imaginary human-like beings, usually depicted as short and typically bearded males, who inhabit the inner parts of the earth and act as guardians of mines, mineral treasure, etc.; in modern fantasy literature and games, when distinguished from dwarves, gnomes are usually even smaller than dwarves and more focussed on engineering than mining.
   When the trees were disposed of, the gnomes vanished again. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 226
   There were not one but four gnomes standing at his feet. “I nearly trod on you,” Daniel said. “What are you doing here?” The gnomes just stood, looking up at him. 2011, Ross Lawhead, The Realms Thereunder, page 251
3. A person of small stature or misshapen features, or of strange appearance.
4. The northern pygmy owl, Glaucidium gnoma, a small owl of the western United States.
5. A small statue of a dwarf-like character, often bearded, placed in a garden.
   There were ornamental ponds and shrubs clipped into animal shapes, painted concrete gnomes sitting on mushrooms, pink flamingos standing on one leg[.] 1968, Carl Ruhen, The Key Club, Sydney: Scripts, page 20
   My mother-in-law, who swears she is a good Lutheran but is also the most powerful Witch I have ever met, also has at least a dozen small lawn gnomes peeking out from beside her shrubs, next to the lilac bushes, and hanging out with the roses. My husband has already started our collection; as of this writing, four gnomes and one moss-covered rabbit hang out in the shrubbery by the front door, two gnomes live in the dining room, and one guards the perpetual pile of to-do paperwork that lives next to the computer. 2011, Bronwen Forbes, The Small-Town Pagan's Survival Guide, page 72
6. (astronomy, meteorology) An upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, a compact blue starter.
7. (often derogatory) A banker, especially a secretive international one.
   the gnomes of Zurich
   So far the major beneficiaries of the boom in gold have been deposed South American dictators, Middle Eastern potentates, and the gnomes of Zurich. 1973, Texas Monthly, page 110
   1985, Fodor's, Fodor's ... London, Fodor's For this is a creation of the City, of the country's financial heart, and of the gnomes of London who have financed it and supported it entirely on their own.
   The gnomes of Wall Street can trade on rumors, but Warren will only invest after the sale or merger has been announced. 2002, Mary Buffett, David Clark, The New Buffettology: The Proven Techniques for Investing Successfully in Changing Markets That Have Made Warren Buffett the World's Most Famous Investor, Simon and Schuster, page 194