English
elfling
From elf + -ling.
Formed from elf + -ling
Proto-Indo-European *albʰós ‘white’
Proto-Germanic *albiz
Proto-West Germanic *albi ‘elf, fairy’
Old English ielf
Middle English elf ‘elf, fairy’
English elf
Today it means
noun A small or tiny elf; an elf of a diminutive type.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / elfling