dwarf
dwarf
Definition
dwarf (dwôrf)
noun pl. dwarfs or dwarves (dwôrvz)
- any human being, animal, or plant that is much smaller than the usual one of its species
- Folklore a little being in human form, usually ugly or malformed, to whom magic powers are attributed
- a star of relatively small size or mass and low luminosity
Etymology: ME dwerf, dwergh < OE dweorg, akin to Ger zwerg < IE *dhwergh-, prob. < base *dhwer-, to trick, injure > Sans dhvarati, (he) injures
transitive verb
- to keep from growing to full natural size
- to make small or insignificant
- to make seem small by comparison
intransitive verb
to become stunted or dwarfed
adjective
undersized; stunted
Related Forms:
- dwarfish dwarf′·ish adjective
- dwarfishness dwarf′·ish·ness noun
- dwarfism dwarf′·ism′ noun
dwarf
Synonyms
dwarf
Synonyms
dwarf
Synonyms
dwarf
v.
dwarf
Usage Examples
Object
- rootstock: The dwarfing rootstocks they are grown on restrict the vigor of the plants.
- galaxy: All these characteristics make dwarf irregular galaxies the ideal local analogs to young galaxies from the early universe.
- bean: Why not try vegetables in pots - peas and dwarf runner beans will provide interest with their pretty flowers.
Converse of object
- orbit: Perhaps the less hostile environment of a habitable moon orbiting a brown dwarf would help to extend the human life cycle.
Adjective modifier
- brown: Perhaps the brown dwarf has an orbit similar to a comet, for instance.
- white: In a binary system, the white dwarf will pull material off the surface of the normal star.
- yellow: Expression of barley yellow dwarf or wheat streak mosaic virus coat proteins in transgenic wheat.
- black: At the end of this process the remnant star will cease to emit radiation and will become a ' black dwarf ' .
Modifies a noun
- nova: Both these extremes of behavior occur in the dwarf novae with the shortest orbital periods.
- birch: The landscape here is typical habitat for dwarf birch.
- lop: We have lost our black dwarf lop eared male rabbit named Bright Eyes.
- hamster: In addition, classes for dwarf hamsters are held.
- conifer: There is a huge range of dwarf conifers that would be suitable.
- cichlid: Please also check out my website listed below, plenty of other South American dwarf cichlids av... .. .
Noun used with modifier
- sub-brown: Sitchin seems to reject my notion of a sub-brown dwarf and warmed moons, which is a pity.
- rice: The rice dwarf phytoreovirus structural protein P7 possesses non-specific nucleic acids binding activity in vitro.
