Elf vs. Midget — What's the Difference?

An elf (plural: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore (especially North Germanic mythology and folklore). In medieval Germanic-speaking cultures, elves generally seem to have been thought of as beings with magical powers and supernatural beauty, ambivalent towards everyday people and capable of either helping or hindering them.

Midget (from midge, a sand fly) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative. While not a medical term, it has been applied to persons of unusually short stature, often with dwarfism, a medical condition with a number of causes including achondroplasia, and particularly proportionate dwarfism.

A mythical creature in human form but usually smaller, often considered mischievous.

(Offensive) An extremely small person who is otherwise normally proportioned.

A lively, mischievous child.

A small or miniature version of something.

A usually sprightly or mischievous or sometimes spiteful person.

A class of small objects, as a class of very small sailboats or racing cars.

(Norse mythology) A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.

Miniature; diminutive.

Any from a race of mythical, supernatural beings resembling but seen as distinct from human beings. They are usually delicate-featured and skilled in magic or spellcrafting; sometimes depicted as clashing with dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.

Belonging to a type or class much smaller than what is considered standard

(fantasy) Any of the magical, typically forest-guarding races bearing some similarities to the Norse álfar (through Tolkien's Eldar).

(originally) A little sandfly.

A very diminutive person; a dwarf.

(loosely) Any small swarming insect similar to the mosquito; a midge.

(South Africa) The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).

A normally-proportioned person with small stature, usually defined as reaching an adult height less than 4'10".

To twist into elflocks (of hair); to mat.

Any short person.

An imaginary supernatural being, commonly a little sprite, much like a fairy; a mythological diminutive spirit, supposed to haunt hills and wild places, and generally represented as delighting in mischievous tricks.

(attributively) A small version of something; miniature.

A very diminutive person; a dwarf.

A minute bloodsucking fly.

To entangle mischievously, as an elf might do.

A very diminutive person having normal proportions of the body parts; compare dwarf.

(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous

A person who is abnormally small

Below 3 kilohertz

Very small;