dwarf
n. countablen. a person, animal, or plant that is much smaller than the usual size. In stories, it also refers to a small person with magical powers who often works with metal or stone.
n. an individual of unusually small stature, often resulting from a medical condition. In folklore and fantasy literature, it refers to a member of a race of short, sturdy beings skilled in mining and craftsmanship.
The gardener planted a dwarf apple tree in the small backyard.
In many classic fairy tales, the dwarf is portrayed as a wise but grumpy guardian of mountain treasures.
The discovery of a dwarf planet beyond Pluto forced astronomers to reconsider the criteria for what constitutes a major celestial body within our solar system.
From Middle English dwergh, dwerw, dwerf, from Old English dweorg, from Proto-West Germanic dwerg, from Proto-Germanic dwergaz. Cognate with Scots droich, dwerch (“dwarf, midget”); Old High German twerc (German, Luxembourgish Zwerg (“dwarf”)); Old Norse dvergr (Danish dværg (“dwarf, midget”), Faroese dvørgur (“dwarf”), Icelandic dvergur (“dwarf”), Norwegian Bokmål dverg (“dwarf”), Norwegian Nynorsk dverg, verg (“dwarf”), Swedish dvärg (“dwarf”)); Old Frisian dwirg (Saterland Frisian Dwärch (“dwarf”), West Frisian dwerch (“dwarf”)); Middle Low German dwerch, dwarch, twerg (German Low German Dwarg (“dwarf”)); Middle Dutch dwerch, dworch (Dutch dwerg (“dwarf”)). The Modern English noun has undergone complex phonetic changes. The form dwarf is the regular continuation of Old English dweorg, but the plural dweorgas would have given rise to dwarrows and the oblique stem dweorge- would have led to dwery. These forms are sometimes found as the nominative singular in Middle English texts and in English dialects. A parallel case is that of Old English burg giving burgh, borough, burrow, bury.
The plural form is usually 'dwarfs' in biological contexts, but 'dwarves' is standard in fantasy literature.