Spanish duende and (especially in reference to Portuguese or Brazilian folklore) Portuguese duende. Doublet of duwende.
duende (countable and uncountable, plural duendes)
- A small, mischievous humanoid creature in Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese), Latin American, and Philippine folklore/mythology; an imp.
- (art) Heightened inspiration or passion, especially in flamenco.
1998, Federico García Lorca, Norman Thomas Di Giovanni, In Search of Duende[1], New Directions, →ISBN, page VIII, →ISBN:The duende is a momentary burst of inspiration, the blush of all that is truly alive, all that the performer is creating at a certain moment.
- Personal charm. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Inherited from Old Spanish duen de casa (“master of the house”). Compare Sicilian donni di casa. See more at dueño.
- IPA(key): /ˈdwende/ [ˈd̪wẽn̪.d̪e]
- Rhymes: -ende
- Syllabification: duen‧de
duende m (plural duendes)
- (Iberian folklore) a small humanoid creature who invades homes at night to carry out mischief and scare the residents
(Can we date this quote?), Raquel Cachafeiro Gil, El Duende de la Navidad, →ISBN, page 4:El duende de la Navidad vive en las ramas del manzano, pasa el tiempo subiendo y bajando, atareado con unir la luz del sol a la tierra y otras tareas similares. Cada año, en el invierno, se asoma a las ramas y mira a las estrellas y ve caer la […]- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (by extension, fiction) goblin, leprechaun, pixie, elf, imp, brownie, gremlin, hobgoblin
- Synonyms: elfo, hada, gnomo
- (by extension) charisma (the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm)
- Synonym: carisma
- (by extension) charm, magic
- Synonyms: encanto, embrujo, magia