Having qualities or characteristics similar to an elf, such as being small, delicate, mysterious, or otherworldly.
Compound of 'elf' and the suffix '-like' (from Old English 'gelic' meaning 'similar'). This formation allows speakers to describe elf-adjacent qualities without claiming something is literally an elf.
The word 'elflike' became popular during the Romantic period when writers wanted to describe beauty that seemed supernatural or not quite human—think of how many Victorian poets used it to describe ethereal women.
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