| Elf | n.; pl. Elves [ AS. ælf, ylf; akin to MHG. alp, G. alp nightmare, incubus, Icel. ālfr elf, Sw. alf, elfva; cf. Skr. &rsdot_;bhu skillful, artful, rabh to grasp. Cf. Auf, Oaf. ] 1. An imaginary supernatural being, commonly a little sprite, much like a fairy; a mythological diminutive spirit, supposed to haunt hills and wild places, and generally represented as delighting in mischievous tricks. [ 1913 Webster ] Every elf, and fairy sprite,
Hop as light as bird from brier. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. A very diminutive person; a dwarf. [ 1913 Webster ]
Elf arrow, a flint arrowhead; -- so called by the English rural folk who often find these objects of prehistoric make in the fields and formerly attributed them to fairies; -- called also elf bolt, elf dart, and elf shot. --
Elf child, a child supposed to be left by elves, in room of one they had stolen. See Changeling. --
Elf fire, the ignis fatuus. Brewer. --
Elf owl (Zoöl.), a small owl (Micrathene Whitneyi) of Southern California and Arizona. [ 1913 Webster ]
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