Dictionary entry

Sylph

Webster's Dictionary 1913

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.

2. Fig.: A slender, graceful woman.

3. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of very brilliant South American humming birds, having a very long and deeply-forked tail; as, the blue-tailed sylph (Cynanthus cyanurus).