round-ear

noun

A human or half-human.

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Meanings

nounround-ear (plural round-ears)

plural round-ears

  1. derogatoryoftenslangfantasyA human or half-human.

    ‘You stinking, cowardly round-ear,’ she snarled, baring her canines at him.

    2011, Sam Sykes, Tome of the Undergates, page 22
    2 more examples

    Even though the round-ear wore a short, loose deerskin tunic, awkwardly stitched and beaded, Bearclaw could tell that the body beneath was almost as slender and fragilely boned as an elf’s, with the exception of the big hands and clumsy feet.

    1993, Richard Pini, Dark Hours: The Blood of Ten Chiefs, page 296

    "Shut up, round-ear," he barked back. There were a couple of laughs at that. And a few of the elves did look like they thought making a cage of human limbs could be a fun way to pass the time.

    2017, Jon Hollins, The Dragon Lords: False Idols, page 229

Origin

From an allusion to the round pinnae of humans, as contrasted to the long, pointed ears common in fantasy depictions of elves, fairies, and similar fictional species.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

round-ear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round-ear

MLA

“round-ear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round-ear. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “round-ear,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round-ear.

Source: round-ear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.