Dwarfer

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A person or thing that causes something else to look significantly smaller or less important in comparison
2. An entity that makes another object or person appear diminished in size or significance
3. Someone or something that by contrast makes another item seem reduced in size or importance

Etymology: "Dwarfer" is a plain formation: the noun "dwarf" with the suffix "-er" attached, so it means something that dwarfs, or makes other things look small by comparison. The suffix "-er" is a common English ending that turns a verb or noun into a word for a doer or agent, and here it attaches to "dwarf" used as a verb, to dwarf, meaning to cause something to appear small or insignificant. The verb "dwarf" is itself older and more striking than the adjective built from it. "Dwarf" comes from Old English "dweorg," a word for the mythical small beings of Germanic folklore, and the older root behind it is uncertain. Its shift from a creature in legend to a verb meaning "to make look small" is a good example of how a noun for a being can become an action, and "dwarfer" then takes that action and names the thing that performs it.

Synonyms: shorter, smaller, lesser

Antonyms: taller, larger, greater