/ dwɔːf; NAmE dwɔːrf/ noun , adjective , verb
■ noun ( pl. dwarfs or dwarves / dwɔːvz; NAmE dwɔːrvz/)
1.
(in stories) a creature like a small man, who has magic powers and who is usually described as living and working under the ground, especially working with metal
2.
(sometimes offensive ) an extremely small person, who will never grow to a normal size because of a physical problem; a person suffering from dwarfism
HELP NOTE : There is no other word that is generally considered more acceptable.
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] ( of a plant or an animal ) much smaller than the normal size :
dwarf conifers
■ verb
[ vn ] to make sth seem small or unimportant compared with sth else :
The old houses were dwarfed by the huge new tower blocks.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English dweorg , dweorh , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dwerg and German Zwerg .