What does elf-bolt mean?
Elf-bolt means A belemnite.
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Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
A belemnite.
A proof much ſtronger of the diſtance at which the firſt poſſeſſors of this iſland lived from the preſent time, is afforded by the ſtone heads of arrows which are very frequently picked up. The people call them Elf-bolts, and believe that the fairies ſhoot them at the cattle.
[A] bow, in order that they may discharge little arrows at men, and tease them, as they otherwise do with small pebbles; for the dangerous Elf-bolt of the Scotch tradition hath doubtless its counterpart in one that is harmless.
The Elf-bolt is associated with many rustic fancies not yet altogether eradicated from the popular mind. It occupied no unimportant part among the paraphernalia of Scottish witches of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and the occurrence of any sudden disease amongst cattle was ascribed until a comparatively recent period, to their having been shot by the fairies with Elfin arrows.
Use elf-bolt when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Elf-bolt means A belemnite.
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
A proof much ſtronger of the diſtance at which the firſt poſſeſſors of this iſland lived from the preſent time, is afforded by the ſtone heads of arrows which are very frequently picked up. The people call them Elf-bolts, and believe that the fairies ſhoot them at the cattle.
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