A creature of small stature, about half the height of a human; most famously, the fictional race in fantasy literature including hobbits.
From 'half' + '-ling' (Old English diminutive suffix). Originally used for underdeveloped creatures, this term was popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien to describe the small folk in his fictional worlds, though the word existed in folklore before.
Halfling is a perfect example of how fantasy literature resurrects old linguistic patterns—Tolkien loved Old English and revived the '-ling' suffix that had nearly disappeared from modern English, creating an entirely new fantasy race concept with an archaic English word!
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