Word.ws English Dictionary

elfology

elfology noun: the study of elves.

Noun

elfology (uncountable)

  1. (rare) The study of elves.
    • He had prepared such a fine pedestal for her, draped her in so many beautiful illusions. But if she was an elf, there was no keeping an elf on a pedestal. No sooner had he arranged her there nicely, than off she flopped in her elfish way, scattering the illusions he had attached to her, as it were...[1921?], John Cournos, “Circe”, in The Wall, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.; New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, →OCLC, chapter VIII, section I, page 207
    • When I set out to plan a series of picture books about European elves, the first task was to sort out the strands of their individual characteristics. In studying folklore collected in the nineteenth century, I found a whole sociology of elfdom emerging from people’s beliefs. Before I was done, I...1969 June, Mary Calhoun, “Tracking Down Elves in Folklore”, in The Horn Book Magazine, volume XLV, number 3, page 278

Examples of elfology in a sentence

  • Had he been better versed in elfology, he might have employed more blunt, more masterly tactics; […][1921?], John Cournos, “Circe”, in The Wall, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.; New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, →OCLC, chapter VIII...
  • Before I was done, I felt I could take a degree in elfology.1969 June, Mary Calhoun, “Tracking Down Elves in Folklore”, in The Horn Book Magazine, volume XLV, number 3, page 278:
  • What is the hardest thing about being one of Santa’s elves? […] “Passing the final exam for your degree in Elf Sciences.” — Ruth / elfology student1996 December 18, Tulsa World, 92nd year, number 98, Tulsa, Okla., section “East Tulsa”, page 2:
  • You’ll get your very own textbook and a tour of some local “elf sites.” Best of all, you get a diploma in “elfology.”2011, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Girls Only!, Portable Press, →ISBN:

Origin of elfology

From elf + -ology.

Questions about elfology

What does elfology mean?
Elfology means the study of elves.
How do you use elfology in a sentence?
Had he been better versed in elfology, he might have employed more blunt, more masterly tactics; […]
What part of speech is elfology?
Elfology is a noun.

Words near elfology in the dictionary

  1. elfmaid
  2. elfmaids
  3. Elfmanesque
  4. elfness
  5. elfoid
  6. elfology
  7. Elford
  8. Elfords
  9. elfpunk
  10. Elfreda
  11. elfs

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: elfology (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “elfology.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/elfology. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.