Hobbit

In Tolkien's invented-historical framework the name Hobbit is glossed as derived from Old English-style holbytla (plural holbytlan), meaning "hole-builder"; Tolkien used philological framing to situate them as a distinct people within his legendarium. Literary antecedents and possible inspirations (e.g., Edward Wyke Smith's Snergs, incidental earlier uses of the word in 19th-century sources, and contemporary literature) have been discussed by scholars, but Tolkien's published works present hobbits as his invented race rather than a recovered real-world folk entity.

Hobbits are described as between two and four feet tall (average about three feet six inches), generally stout though less stocky than dwarves, with slightly pointed ears. Most hobbits cannot grow beards (though some Stoors could), and their feet are covered with curly hair and leathery soles so they rarely wear shoes. They commonly dress in bright colours (favoring yellow and green) and many live in comfortable underground houses built into hillsides.

Hobbits are ordinary, corporeal people rather than supernatural beings: culturally skilled at domestic life, gardening, and homely crafts; described as adept at throwing stones and capable of stealth, endurance, practical resourcefulness, and unexpected courage or resilience when circumstances demand. They use commonplace items anachronistic to epic settings (e.g., umbrellas, matches, clocks, pipeweed). The supplied sources do not ascribe magical powers to hobbits.