Hobkin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small mischievous spirit of folklore, akin to a household goblin that lives around the hearth and farm
2. An elf-like creature from old English country tales, a diminutive kind of hob that plays tricks on people
3. The name for a tiny folkloric sprite associated with the home, the hearth, and rural household life

Etymology: Hob began as a pet form of Robert, much as Dick and Hick came from Richard and Hodge from Roger. From that personal name it came to be used for a country bumpkin and for a household spirit, and the same stem survives in "hobgoblin." Hobkin adds the diminutive suffix "-kin," which English took from Dutch and Low German and which also appears in "lambkin" and "napkin." The result is a little hob, applied to a small rustic figure or a small domestic sprite.

Synonyms: clown, bumpkin