Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [grem-lin]
- /ˈgrɛm lɪn/
- /ˈɡrem.lɪn/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [grem-lin]
- /ˈgrɛm lɪn/
Definitions of gremlin word
- noun gremlin a mischievous invisible being, said by airplane pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties. 1
- noun gremlin any cause of trouble, difficulties, etc., especially in a mechanical, electrical, or other system: A loose wire was the gremlin that blew out the lights. 1
- noun gremlin An imaginary mischievous sprite regarded as responsible for an unexplained problem or fault, esp. a mechanical or electronic one. 1
- noun gremlin mythology: mischievous creature 1
- countable noun gremlin A gremlin is a tiny imaginary evil spirit that people say is the cause of a problem, especially in a machine, which they cannot explain properly or locate. 0
- noun gremlin an imaginary imp jokingly said to be responsible for malfunctions in machinery 0
Information block about the term
Origin of gremlin
First appearance:
before 1925 One of the 11% newest English words
First recorded in 1925-30; of obscure origin; in its earliest attested use, an RAF term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man assigned the most onerous duties; later development perhaps affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Gremlin
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
gremlin popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 63% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
gremlin usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for gremlin
noun gremlin
- goblin — a grotesque sprite or elf that is mischievous or malicious toward people.
- pixie — a fairy or sprite, especially a mischievous one.
- demon — A demon is an evil spirit.
- fairy — (in folklore) one of a class of supernatural beings, generally conceived as having a diminutive human form and possessing magical powers with which they intervene in human affairs.
- sprite — an elf, fairy, or goblin.
Top questions with gremlin
- what is a gremlin?
- how many gremlin movies are there?
- who made the gremlin car?
- how many gremlin movies were made?
- how to draw a gremlin?
- how to make a gremlin costume?
- what is the name of the bad gremlin?
- who made gremlin cars?
- who made the gremlin?
- how to make a gremlin puppet?
- what is gremlin?
- what was the name of the bad gremlin?
- what is the name of the evil gremlin?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with g
- Words starting with gr
- Words starting with gre
- Words starting with grem
- Words starting with greml
- Words starting with gremli
- Words starting with gremlin