sylphe

See also: Sylphe

French

Etymology

From New Latin sylphes, sylphi, coined by Paracelsus in the 16th century, possibly based on a combination of Latin sylvestris (“from the woods”) + nympha (“nymph”), or otherwise Ancient Greek σίλφη (sílphē, “beetle”).

More at sylph.

Noun

sylphe m (plural sylphes)

1. sylph (the elemental being of air)

Further reading

• “sylphe”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.