sylph

WOTD – 1 June 2007    

English

Wikipedia

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. (mythology) An invisible being of the air
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.
   • 1811, Mary Bruton, Self-Control (novel):

     Her heart fluttered with expectation—her step was buoyant with hope, and she sprung into the carriage with the lightness of a sylph.

4. A mainly dark green and blue hummingbird, the male of which has a long forked tail.

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)