gnomus

nature_spirit earth Renaissance single tradition · 1

A type of spirit described by Paracelsus in *A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits* (1566). The name may derive from Latin *gēnomos, itself representing a Greek *γηνόμος, approximated by "*gē-nomos", literally "earth-dweller".

When

First attested
1566 CE
Attested period
1566 – 1566
Historical notes
First appears in Paracelsus's book published posthumously in 1566.

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“The word comes from Renaissance Latin gnomus, gnomos, (pl. gnomi) which first appears in A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits by Paracelsus, published posthumously in Nysa in 1566.”

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