") hiding behind a toadstool.]] A gnome is a creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean free lifestyle. The word gnome is derived from the New Latin gnomus. It is often claimed to descend from the Greek gnosis, "knowledge", but more likely comes from genomos "earth-dweller", in which case the omission of e is, as the OED calls it, a blunder. It is also possible that Paracelsus simply made the word up. Gnomes are usually about 5 centimeters (2 inches) tall and wear red hats. There are many types of gnomes including lawn gnomes, garden gnomes, and Siberian gnomes. Paracelsus includes gnomes in his list of elementals, as earth elementals. He describes them as two span high, and very taciturn.C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image, p135 ISBN 0-521-47735-2 In Folklore .]]Often featured in Germanic fairy tales, including th