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. Zool.
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).
© Webster 1913.