Coined in its current sense by J. R. R. Tolkien in the 1930s, featured in the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Jocularly etymologized by him as from a hypothetical Old English *holbytla (literally “hole-builder”), from hol (“hole”) + bytlan (“to build”) + -a (“-er”). Tolkien was possibly influenced by similar terms for house-sprites (probably from Hob, a hypocoristic form of Robert), or an isolated mention of hobbits (with hobgoblins following immediately afterwards) in a list of sprites and bogies from the 19th-century Denham Tracts.
Audio (Southern England): | (file) |
hobbit (plural hobbits or (humorous) hobbitses)
|
|
Probably from hoppet, hobbet (“basket”).
hobbit (plural hobbits)
hobbit
From English hobbit; coined by J.R.R. Tolkien.
hobbit (plural hobbitok)
Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | hobbit | hobbitok |
accusative | hobbitot | hobbitokat |
dative | hobbitnak | hobbitoknak |
instrumental | hobbittal | hobbitokkal |
causal-final | hobbitért | hobbitokért |
translative | hobbittá | hobbitokká |
terminative | hobbitig | hobbitokig |
essive-formal | hobbitként | hobbitokként |
essive-modal | — | — |
inessive | hobbitban | hobbitokban |
superessive | hobbiton | hobbitokon |
adessive | hobbitnál | hobbitoknál |
illative | hobbitba | hobbitokba |
sublative | hobbitra | hobbitokra |
allative | hobbithoz | hobbitokhoz |
elative | hobbitból | hobbitokból |
delative | hobbitról | hobbitokról |
ablative | hobbittól | hobbitoktól |
non-attributive possessive - singular |
hobbité | hobbitoké |
non-attributive possessive - plural |
hobbitéi | hobbitokéi |
Possessive forms of hobbit | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
1st person sing. | hobbitom | hobbitjaim |
2nd person sing. | hobbitod | hobbitjaid |
3rd person sing. | hobbitja | hobbitjai |
1st person plural | hobbitunk | hobbitjaink |
2nd person plural | hobbitotok | hobbitjaitok |
3rd person plural | hobbitjuk | hobbitjaik |
Unadapted borrowing from English hobbit; coined by J.R.R. Tolkien.
hobbit m (invariable)
From English hobbit; coined by J.R.R. Tolkien.
hobbit m (definite singular hobbiten, indefinite plural hobbiter, definite plural hobbitene)
From English hobbit; coined by J.R.R. Tolkien.
hobbit m (definite singular hobbiten, indefinite plural hobbitar, definite plural hobbitane)
hobbit m animal or m pers (female equivalent hobbitka, related adjective hobbicki)
or
Unadapted borrowing from English hobbit; coined by J.R.R. Tolkien.
hobbit m or f by sense (plural hobbits)
Unadapted borrowing from English hobbit; coined by J.R.R. Tolkien.
hobbit m (plural hobbits)
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.