n., pl., dwarfs, or dwarves (dwôrvz).
- An abnormally small person, often having limbs and features atypically proportioned or formed.
- An atypically small animal or plant.
- A small creature resembling a human, often ugly, appearing in legends and fairy tales.
- A dwarf star.
v., dwarfed, dwarf·ing, dwarfs. v.tr.
- To check the natural growth or development of; stunt: "The oaks were dwarfed from lack of moisture" (John Steinbeck).
- To cause to appear small by comparison: "Together these two big men dwarfed the tiny Broadway office" (Saul Bellow).
To become stunted or grow smaller.
[Middle English dwerf, from Old English dweorh.]
dwarfish dwarf'ish adj.dwarfishness dwarf'ish·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
