Dwarf vs Dig - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between dwarf and dig

is that dwarf is (mythology) any member of a race of beings from (especially scandinavian and other germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often depicted as short, and sometimes depicted as clashing with elves while dig is ditch, dyke.

As an adjective dwarf

is .

As a verb dwarf

is to render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).

dwarf

English

Noun

(en-noun)

(mythology) Any member of a race of beings from (especially Scandinavian and other Germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often depicted as short, and sometimes depicted as clashing with elves.

A person of short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with normal adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.

An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.

dwarf''' tree; '''dwarf honeysuckle

(star) A star of relatively small size.

Usage notes

At first, dwarfs'' was the more common plural in English. After used ''dwarves'', it began to rise in popularity, and is now about as common as ''dwarfs .

Synonyms

* (person) midget, pygmy (imprecise)

Antonyms

* giant * ettin

Derived terms

(term derived from dwarf) * dwarf star * black dwarf * brown dwarf * red dwarf * white dwarf * dwarfen, dwarven * dwarfess * dwarfify * dwarfism * dwarfish, dwarvish * dwarfling * dwarfness

Adjective

(-)

The specimen is a very dwarf form of the plant.

It is possible to grow the plants as dwarf as one desires.

Verb

(en verb)

To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).

To make appear (much) smaller, puny, tiny.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=Kevin Heng

, title= Why Does Nature Form Exoplanets Easily? , volume=101, issue=3, page=184, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter.}}

To make appear insignificant.

To become (much) smaller.

To hinder from growing to the natural size; to make or keep small; to stunt.

(Addison)

* J. C. Shairp

Even the most common moral ideas and affections would be stunted and dwarfed , if cut off from a spiritual background.

Synonyms

* (make much smaller) miniaturize, shrink * (become much smaller) shrink

dig

English

(wikipedia dig)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) , from (etyl) (m), itself a borrowing of the same Germanic root (from (etyl) (m)). More at ditch, dike.

Verb

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=Miss Thorn began digging up the turf with her lofter: it was a painful moment for me. ¶ “You might at least have tried me, Mrs. Cooke,” I said.}}

(label) To get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up .

(label) To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.

To work like a digger; to study ploddingly and laboriously.

(label) To investigate, to research, often followed by out'' or ''up .

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author=(Henry Petroski)

, magazine=(American Scientist), title= The Evolution of Eyeglasses , passage=Digging deeper, the invention of eyeglasses is an elaboration of the more fundamental development of optics technology. The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, essentially what today we might term a frameless magnifying glass or plain glass paperweight.}}

To thrust; to poke.

* Robynson (More's Utopia)

You should have seen children dig and push their mothers under the sides, saying thus to them: Look, mother, how great a lubber doth yet wear pearls.

Derived terms

* dig in * dig into * dig over * dig out * dig up

Noun

(en noun)

An archeological investigation.

(US, colloquial, dated) A plodding and laborious student.

A thrust; a poke.

He guffawed and gave me a dig in the ribs after telling his latest joke.

Synonyms

* (archaeological investigation) excavation

Etymology 2

From (African American Vernacular English); due to lack of writing of slave speech, etymology is .Random House Unabridged, 2001 Others do not propose a distinct etymology, instead considering this a semantic shift of the existing English term (compare dig in/dig into'').eg: OED, "dig", from ME vt ''diggen

Verb

(slang) To understand or show interest in.

You dig ?

(slang) To appreciate, or like.

Baby, I dig you.

References

Anagrams

* English irregular verbs English three-letter words ----