Gnome

A gnome /noʊm/ is a diminutive chthonic spirit in Renaissance magic, alchemy and in later fantasy fiction. The word is from Renaissance Latin gnomus, a word apparently coined by Swiss alchemist Paracelsus. Paracelsus uses Gnomi as a synonym of Pygmæi. He is perhaps deriving the term from Latin gēnomos (itself representing a Greek γη-νομος, literally "earth-dweller". In this case, the omission of the ē is, as the OED calls it, a blunder. Alternatively, the term may be an original invention of Paracelsus. Paracelsus includes gnomes in his list of elementals, as earth elementals. He describes them as two spans high, and very taciturn.