goblin

Meaning

1. One of various hostile supernatural creatures, now especially (fantasy literature) a malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.
2. A hoodoo.

Synonyms

demon

ghost

👻

devil

gnome

hobgoblin

imp

👿

monster

evil spirit

brownie

apparition

hob

elf

🧝

vampire

🧛

fiend

sprite

spook

spirit

phantom

gremlin

specter

bogey

bugbear

genie

🧞

ghoul

kobold

monstrous

ogress

spectre

devilkin

house-spirit

nightmare

nymph

gobblin

fairy

🧚

pixie

puck

evil sprite

bugan

dwarf

demons

daemon

strange

supernatural

troll

🧌

unaccountable

uncanny

urchin

bogy

weird

blame

taipo

kind of ghost

malevolent being

boggard

giant

knocker

boggart

marvelous

gamine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡɑb.lɪn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: gobelyn

Cognate with Jèrriais: goubelin

Cognate with Walloon: gobelin

Cognate with Dutch: kabouter

Cognate with German: Kobold

In summary

From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”).