sylph

WOTD - 1 June 2007    

Wikipedia

English

Etymology

First attested in 1657. From New Latin sylphes, coined by Paracelsus in the 16th century. The coinage may derive from sylva and nympha.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sɪlf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlf

Noun

sylph (plural sylphs)

1. A wood nymph.
2. The elemental being of air, usually female.
3. A slender woman or girl, usually graceful and sometimes with the implication of sublime station over everyday people.

   • "Her heart fluttered with expectation---her step was buoyant with hope, and she sprung into the carriage with the lightness of a sylph." — Mary Brunton (1778-1818), Self-Control: A Novel

Translations

The elemental being of air

French: sylphe (fr), sylphide (fr) German: Sylphe f., Luftgeist m. Italian: silfide, silfo Polish: sylf (pl)

Portuguese: silfo, sílfide Spanish: sílfide (es) Swedish: sylf (sv)

A slender girl

German: Sylphide f. (archaic)