A small magical creature from Irish folklore, usually depicted as a tiny man wearing green clothes who guards hidden treasure.
From Irish 'leipreachán,' possibly derived from 'lúchorpán' meaning 'small-bodied one.' The word entered English through Irish cultural traditions and became popularized in stories about Irish mythology and folklore.
Leprechauns became the mascot of Irish identity partly by accident—19th-century Americans commercialized Irish stereotypes, and the cheerful little green man stuck around so hard that many Irish people today are amused by how dominant this single folklore character became in global culture.
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