noun · rare

sylph

sylph · sylphs

Sylphe, Luftgeist, Sylphide

An invisible being of the airAn invisible being of the air.

/sɪlf/

Meaning

4 senses

An invisible being of the air.
an elemental being believed to inhabit the air
The elemental being of air, usually female.
Sylphe, Luftgeist
(broadly)A slender woman or girl, usually graceful and sometimes with the implication of sublime station over everyday people.
Sylphide
a slender graceful young woman
Any of the mainly dark green and blue hummingbirds (genus Aglaiocercus), the male of which has a long forked tail.

Translations

6 languages

Deutsch

By meaning 2

The elemental being of air:

A slender girl:

Origin

First attested in 1657. From New Latin sylphes, coined by Paracelsus in the 16th century.

First attested in 1657. From New Latin sylphes, coined by Paracelsus in the 16th century. The coinage may derive from Latin sylvestris (“of the woods”) and nympha (“nymph”). Ultimately from the root silva (“woods, forest”). Related to sylvan.

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