sylph
Americannoun
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a slender, graceful woman or girl.
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(in folklore) one of a race of supernatural beings supposed to inhabit the air.
noun
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a slender graceful girl or young woman
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any of a class of imaginary beings assumed to inhabit the air
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sylph
1650–60; from New Latin sylphēs (plural), coined by Paracelsus; apparently blend of sylva (variant spelling of Latin silva “forest”) and Greek nýmphē nymph
Explanation
A sylph is a lovely, slim young woman or girl. You could describe a row of graceful ballerinas as sylphs. A sylph is always young, female, and slender, moving with an almost otherworldly lightness and grace. The original meaning of sylph was a mythical fairy-like creature, an air spirit that's mentioned by the poet Alexander Pope and appears in several Shakespeare plays as well. The 19th century French ballet "La Sylphide" is thought to have led to the use of sylph to describe slender girls, especially ballet dancers.
Vocabulary lists containing sylph
15 Synonyms for "Thin": An Eileen Ford (1922-2014) Tribute List
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Scrabble: Words with no Vowels
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"The Brave Tin Soldier" by Hans Christian Andersen
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
U.S. presidents had been using yachts since the 1880s, like the USS Despatch, USS Dolphin and USS Sylph, to host foreign dignitaries and serve as recreational space.
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2024
While Sylph is an old hat - having taken part in six Sydney to Hobarts many decades ago - this is Mr William's first time racing it.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2023
As the Sylph, Ms. Woodward radiated a mischievous warmth with jumps that hovered in the air.
From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2016
Some of the models were painstakingly painted in harsh white body makeup, like geishas, marble statues or some bloodless Sylph.
From Washington Post
About twelve o'clock of the day my company were to meet, I received a pacquet, which I instantly knew to be from my ever-watchful Sylph.
From The Sylph, Volume I and II by Cavendish, Georgiana
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
