1. Any of a race of subterranean dwarfs whose hoard of riches and magic ring were taken from them by Siegfried.
2. A follower of Siegfried.
3. One of the Burgundian kings in the Nibelungenlied.

[German, from Middle High German Nibelunc, from Old High German Nibulunc, Nibilung.]

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.