gremlin
/ˈɡɹɛmlən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.63 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined, for example, to damage or dismantle machinery.
noun
A person regarded as similar to a fictional gremlin, in particular: mischievous, troublesome, short, or annoying.
Example Sentences
- "Like Abominable Snowmen, gremlins have never actually been seen; but nobody who works with electronic gear doubts the existence of these mischievous and elusive entities. There are too many malfunctions and failures that can have no other explanation."
- "Crucial time was saved by the fact Nexus didn't require a Transport & Works Act. Nevertheless, other gremlins kept raising their heads."
- "We rechecked everything, and we suspect gremlins in the database."
- "Rosa, the main character in Tears of Themis, is also very smart, justice-driven, and willing to help. Meanwhile, the Honkai: Star Rail Trailblazer […] can often be a sarcastic, pessimistic, lazy, self-serving, dumpster-diving gremlin. […] That’s absolutely gremlin behavior."
Etymology
Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * A variant of goblin. * From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”); but Oxford English Dictionary says there is little evidence for such derivations. The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: gruaimín, gremmelen
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɡɹɛmlən/
- British English: /ˈɡɹɛmlɪn/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Military.