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Swarf vs Dwarf - What's the difference?

swarf | dwarf |

As nouns the difference between swarf and dwarf

is that swarf is the waste chips or shavings from metalworking or a saw cutting wood while dwarf is 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.

As verbs the difference between swarf and dwarf

is that swarf is to grow languid; to faint while dwarf is to render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).

As an adjective dwarf is

miniature.

swarf

English

Noun

(-)
  • the waste chips or shavings from metalworking or a saw cutting wood
  • * 1979 , Cormac McCarthy, Suttree , Random House, p.95:
  • Harrogate looked at the ground. A black swarf packed with small parts in a greasy mosaic.
  • the grit worn away by use of a grindstone or whetstone, being particles of the material being cut and of the cutting stone itself
  • Usage notes

    Infrequently used after the 19th century; primarily in technical settings.

    See also

    * grind * grinder * grindstone * grit * hone * metalwork * smith * whet * whetstone

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (Scotland) To grow languid; to faint.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • to swarf for very hunger

    References

    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