The fictional creature who is the title character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit is a hobbit.
The title refers to Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire who begins the story living a quiet domestic life. Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield draw him into an expedition toward the Lonely Mountain, where the company hopes to recover treasure from Smaug. Bilbo’s growth from reluctant homebody to resourceful adventurer drives the narrative.
Tolkien presents hobbits as small people who value comfort, food, gardens, family history, and peaceful routines. Their culture is distinct from that of dwarves, elves, and goblins, although Bilbo’s journey brings him into contact with all three groups.
The word “hobbit” is not a synonym for dwarf or elf. Dwarves are the displaced miners and warriors in Thorin’s company, while elves are an older immortal people. Bilbo’s species is specifically a hobbit, a term Tolkien made central to modern fantasy vocabulary.