English Explanatory Dictionary

goblin

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Traditionally, a supernatural being of folklore, typically small and grotesque or misshapen, that commonly haunts dark places, often mischievous or malevolent; a type of evil elf, sprite, or demon.
  2. In later fantasy literature, an evil and grotesquely ugly humanoid, typically powerful and warlike, often associated with orcs and trolls.
  3. A hoodoo.
  4. Short for goblin shark
name
  1. Acronym of Gospel Oak to Barking Line, a railway line in north London.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡɒb.lɪn/ /ˈɡɑb.lɪn/ En-us-goblin.ogg

Word forms

goblin goblins

Etymology

From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”), whence English puck.

Synonyms

bugbear bog bogey boggard bogle bug-a-boo gnome goblin hobgoblin imp kobold ogre orc puck

Derived words

clout goblin crotch goblin gobbo goblette goblincore goblindom goblinesque gobliness goblinish goblinism goblinize goblinkind goblinlike goblin mode goblinoid goblinry goblin shark goblin spider green goblin hobgoblin SARM goblin tren goblin
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on G Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary