Wiktionary

sylph

English

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WOTD – 1 June 2007
 
Long-tailed sylph (sense 4)

Etymology

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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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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /sɪlf/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪlf

Noun

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sylph (plural sylphs)

  1. (mythology) An invisible being of the air.
    Synonym: sylphid
    • 1811, Mary Brunton, Self-Control:
      Her heart fluttered with expectation—her step was buoyant with hope, and she sprung into the carriage with the lightness of a sylph.
    • 1941, Rupert Gleadow, Magic and Divination, page 125:
      Necromancy meant originally the conjuring up the souls of the dead, and later included the conjuring of all sorts of inhuman spirits such as sylphs, giants, and djinn.
  2. The elemental being of air, usually female.
  3. (by extension) A slender woman or girl, usually graceful and sometimes with the implication of sublime station over everyday people.
  4. (ornithology) Any of the mainly dark green and blue hummingbirds (genus Aglaiocercus), the male of which has a long forked tail.
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Translations

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References

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Further reading

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