Dictionary

sylphid en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪlfɪd/

Etymology

From French sylphide. By surface analysis, sylph + -id.

Meanings

1. (poetic) A young or little sylph.
   • He insisted on it, and Lucilia, at length, placed her elegant foot on his hand, and darted so nimbly on horseback, that all her motions gave the idea of one of those sylphids, which imagination paints to us in such delicate colours. 1807, [Germaine] de Staël Holstein, translated by D[ennis] Lawler, “[Book XVII. Corinna in Scotland.] Chap[ter] VI.”, in Corinna; or, Italy. […], volume V, London: […] Corri, […]; and sold by Colburn, […], and Mackenzie, […], →OCLC, page 50:
   • the palace of the sylphid queen 1819, Joseph Rodman Drake, The Culprit Fay:
   • Ye sylphs and sylphids, to your chief give ear. 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto II:

Forms

Deriveds

sylphidic

Translations (15)

lv silfīda (Translations) · es sílfide (Translations) · ru сильфи́да (Translations) · pt sílfide (Translations) · cs sylfida (Translations) · de Sylphide (Translations) · sv sylfid (Translations) · hu szilfid (Translations) · ro silfidă (Translations) · da sylfide (Translations) · pl sylfida (Translations) · it silfide (Translations) · ca sílfide (Translations) · fr sylphide (Translations) · el συλφίδα (Translations)