sylph

sylph
—sylphic, adj. —sylphlike, adj.
/silf/, n.
1. a slender, graceful woman or girl.
2. (in folklore) one of a race of supernatural beings supposed to inhabit the air.
[1650-60; < NL sylphes (pl.), coined by Paracelsus; appar. b. sylva (var. sp. of L silva forest) and Gk nýmphe NYMPH]
Syn. 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.

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      an imaginary or elemental being that inhabits the air and is mortal but soulless. The existence of such beings was first postulated by the medieval physician Paracelsus, who associated a different being with each of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). Compare gnome; undine.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Sylph — (also called sylphid) is a mythological creature in the Western tradition. The term originates in Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as invisible beings of the air, his elementals of air. There is no substantial mythos associated with them. Ancient …   Wikipedia

  • Sylph — Обложка первого номера журнала Sylph. Специализация: манга …   Википедия

  • Sylph — Sylph, n. [F. sylphe, m., fr. Gr. ? a kind of grub, beetle, or moth; so called by Paracelsus.] 1. An imaginary being inhabiting the air; a fairy. [1913 Webster] 2. Fig.: A slender, graceful woman. [1913 Webster] 3. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of several… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sylph — sylph; sylph·ic; sylph·id; …   English syllables

  • sylph|id — «SIHL fihd», noun. a little or young sylph. ╂[< French sylphide < sylphe sylph < New Latin sylphes sylphs] …   Useful english dictionary

  • sylph — [sılf] n [Date: 1600 1700; : Modern Latin; Origin: sylphus; probably an invented word] 1.) literary an attractively thin woman 2.) an imaginary female creature who lived in the air, according to ancient stories …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sylph — [ sılf ] noun count 1. ) LITERARY a woman or girl who is thin, delicate, and graceful 2. ) a female spirit in ancient stories who lived in the air …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • 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… …   Etymology dictionary

  • sylph — ► NOUN 1) an imaginary spirit of the air. 2) a slender woman or girl. DERIVATIVES sylphlike adjective. ORIGIN Latin sylphes (plural), perhaps from sylvestris of the woods + nympha nymph …   English terms dictionary

  • sylph — [silf] n. [ModL sylphus, coined (prob. by PARACELSUS Philippus Aureolus) < ? L sylva, silva (see SYLVAN) + nympha,NYMPH] 1. in Paracelsus s alchemical system, any of a class of mortal, soulless beings supposed to inhabit the air 2. a slender,… …   English World dictionary

  • sylph — UK [sɪlf] / US noun [countable] Word forms sylph : singular sylph plural sylphs 1) literary a woman or girl who is thin, delicate, and graceful 2) a female spirit in ancient stories who lived in the air …   English dictionary

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