noun
1.
a slender, graceful woman or girl.
2.
(in folklore) one of a race of supernatural beings supposed to inhabit the air.
Origin:
1650–60; < Neo-Latin sylphēs (plural), coined by Paracelsus; apparently blend of sylva (variant spelling of Latin silva forest) and Greek nýmphē nymph
1650–60; < Neo-Latin sylphēs (plural), coined by Paracelsus; apparently blend of sylva (variant spelling of Latin silva forest) and Greek nýmphē nymph
Related forms
sylph·ic, adjective
sylph·like, adjective
Synonyms
2. Sylph, salamander, undine ( nymph ), gnome were imaginary beings inhabiting the four elements once believed to make up the physical world. All except the gnomes were female. Sylphs dwelt in the air and were light, dainty, and airy beings. Salamanders dwelt in fire: “a salamander that … lives in the midst of flames” (Addison). Undines were water spirits: By marrying a man, an undine could acquire a mortal soul. (They were also called nymphs though nymphs were ordinarily minor divinities of nature who dwelt in woods, hills, and meadows as well as in waters.) Gnomes were little old men or dwarfs, dwelling in the earth: ugly enough to be king of the gnomes.
2. Sylph, salamander, undine ( nymph ), gnome were imaginary beings inhabiting the four elements once believed to make up the physical world. All except the gnomes were female. Sylphs dwelt in the air and were light, dainty, and airy beings. Salamanders dwelt in fire: “a salamander that … lives in the midst of flames” (Addison). Undines were water spirits: By marrying a man, an undine could acquire a mortal soul. (They were also called nymphs though nymphs were ordinarily minor divinities of nature who dwelt in woods, hills, and meadows as well as in waters.) Gnomes were little old men or dwarfs, dwelling in the earth: ugly enough to be king of the gnomes.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To sylphic
00:10
Sylphic
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
sylph (sɪlf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a slender graceful girl or young woman |
| 2. | any of a class of imaginary beings assumed to inhabit the air |
| [C17: from New Latin sylphus, probably coined from Latin silva wood + Greek numphē | |
| 'sylphlike | |
| —adj | |
| 'sylphic | |
| —adj | |
| 'sylphish | |
| —adj | |
| 'sylphy | |
| —adj | |
| sylph (sɪlf) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a slender graceful girl or young woman |
| 2. | any of a class of imaginary beings assumed to inhabit the air |
| [C17: from New Latin sylphus, probably coined from Latin silva wood + Greek numphē | |
| 'sylphlike | |
| —adj | |
| 'sylphic | |
| —adj | |
| 'sylphish | |
| —adj | |
| 'sylphy | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sylph
1650s, from Mod.L. sylphes (pl.), coined 16c. by Paracelsus (1493-1541), originally referring to any race of spirits inhabiting the air, described as being mortal but lacking a soul. Paracelsus' word seems to be an arbitrary coinage, but perhaps it holds a suggestion of L. sylva and Gk. nymph. The meaning
"slender, graceful girl" first recorded 1838, on the notion of "light, airy movements." Silphid (1670s) are the younger or smaller variety, from Fr. sylphide (1671).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Nearby Words
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