Portuguese

Noun

duende m (plural duendes)

1. (Iberian folklore) a small humanoid creature who invades homes at night to carry out mischief and scare the residents
2. (fiction) any small fictional humanoid, especially a mischievous or evil one

Usage notes

This term is commonly used in fiction to translate the name of various creatures such as imps, gnomes and goblins

Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish duen de casa ‎(“master of the house”). See dueño.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdwende/, [ˈdwe̞nd̪e̞]

Noun

duende m ‎(plural duendes)

1. (folklore) elf, imp (a small humanoid creature who invades homes at night to carry out mischief and scare the residents)
   • year unknown, Raquel Cachafeiro Gil, El Duende de la Navidad, Raquel Cachafeiro Gil (ISBN 9788461623341), 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 ...

2. (by extension) charisma (the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm)
3. (by extension) charm, magic

References

• “duende” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima segunda edición, Real Academia Española, 2001.