Sylphe

Meaning

sylph (the elemental being of air)

Concepts

sylph

sylphid

Synonyms

Luftgeist

Elb

🧝

Elbe

Albe

Fee

🧚

Sylphide

Elfe

Etymology

First attested in 1657. Borrowed from New Latin sylphes, coined by Paracelsus in the 16th century. The coinage may derive from Latin sylvestris (“of the woods”) and nympha (“nymph”), or otherwise Ancient Greek σίλφη (sílphē, “beetle”).
More at sylph.