Meanings
noungnome sort (plural gnome sorts)
plural gnome sorts
- computerA variation of the insertion sort that does not use nested loops.
Origin
Named by Dutch computer scientist Dick Grune, based on a metaphor of a gnome walking along a line of flowerpots in order to sort them.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
gnome sort. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnome%20sort
MLA
“gnome sort.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnome%20sort. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gnome sort,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnome%20sort.
Source: gnome sort on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.