hobbit

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The Word of the Day for October 27 is: 

hobbit   \HOB-it\   noun
     : a member of a fictitious peaceful and genial race of small humanlike 
creatures that dwell underground 

Example sentence:
     "As lush as any hobbit's realm, the forest engulfs Sams River Loop 
Trail...." (John G. Mitchell, _National Geographic_, July 1, 2004)

Did you know?
     "What is a hobbit?" wrote J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1937 fantasy novel that 
introduced Mr. Bilbo Baggins. The author then answered himself: "They are (or 
were) little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded 
Dwarves.... There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary 
everyday sort which helps them to disappear when large stupid folk like you and 
me come blundering along...." Tolkien tells us that hobbits "are inclined to be 
fat," and that they "dress in bright colours"; they "have good-natured faces, 
and deep fruity laughs (especially after dinner)." Tolkien, a professional 
linguist who taught at Oxford, coined the word "hobbit" (and many other terms 
-- in fact, a whole new language) for _The Hobbit_ and for his enormously 
popular series _The Lord of the Rings_.




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