RFa small uglycreature in children’s stories that likes to trick people 〔童话中喜欢捉弄人的〕小妖精
Examples from the Corpus
goblin• This celebration of ghosts and goblins has now become a family hobby for the Flads.• They paintwitches and goblins in black and in primarycolors.• Leading the way were a few guys who had to banishmentalgoblins, including: Will Cunnane.• And the moment he did so, the second goblinjumped into his pocket, and there stayed.• In sleep he looked delicate, more elf than goblin, almost beautiful.• No sooner had the goblins left them than Martin and Mihal stood still, pierced to the heart with a dreadfulguilt.• Tengu, the wicked long-nosed trickstergoblin.
Origingoblin
(1300-1400)Old Frenchgobelin, from Medieval Latingobelinus, perhaps from Greekkobalos“bad man”