gremlin
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grem·lin
(grĕm′lĭn)n.
1. An imaginary gnomelike creature to whom mechanical problems, especially in aircraft, are attributed.
2. A maker of mischief.
[Perhaps blend of Irish gruaimín, bad-tempered little fellow (from Middle Irish gruaim, gloom, surliness) and goblin.]
Word History: Elves, goblins, and trolls seem to be timeless creations of the distant past, but gremlins were born in the 1900s. In fact, gremlin is first recorded only in the 1920s, as a Royal Air Force term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man saddled with oppressive assignments. Said to have been invented by members of the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I, gremlin is used in works written in the 1940s for "an imaginary gnomelike creature who causes difficulties in aircraft." The word seems likely to have been influenced by goblin, but accounts of its origin are various and none are certain. One source calls in Fremlin beer bottles to explain the word; another, the Irish Gaelic word gruaimín, "ill-humored little fellow." Whatever the word's origin, it is certain that gremlins have taken on a life of their own.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gremlin
(ˈɡrɛmlɪn)n
1. (Military) an imaginary imp jokingly said to be responsible for malfunctions in machinery
2. any mischievous troublemaker
[C20: perhaps a corruption of goblin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
grem•lin
(ˈgrɛm lɪn)n.
an imaginary, mischievous being humorously alleged to cause mechanical failures in aircraft or disruptions in any activity.
[1925–30; of obscure orig.; in its earliest attested sense, an RAF term for a subaltern or enlisted man; later development perhaps affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin]
syn: See goblin.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
gremlin
A mythical creature believed to tamper with all kinds of machinery.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  gremlin - (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievousfolklore - the unwritten lore (stories and proverbs and riddles and songs) of a culture leprechaun - a mischievous elf in Irish folklore sandman - an elf in fairy stories who sprinkles sand in children's eyes to make them sleepy |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
gremlin
[ˈgrɛmlɪn] n → diablotin m (à qui l'on attribue le mauvais fonctionnement d'une machine ou d'un appareil)Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995