Zephyrus
/ˈzɛfɪrəs/noun
The Greek personification or deity of the west wind, also used in English as a poetic name for a gentle west wind.
Did you know?In Greek myth, Zephyrus was one of the Anemoi, the wind gods, and was associated with spring, flowers, and the tragic abduction of Hyacinthus.
Etymological Timeline
Archaic Greek
Ancient Greek
Ζέφυρος (Zéphyros)
“The west wind, personified as a divine or mythic being”
Classical Greek
Ancient Greek
ζέφυρος (zephyros)
“The mild west wind; one of the four directional wind gods”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Zephyrus
“The west wind and its personification, adopted from Greek mythology”
Old English Period
English
zephyrus
“A learned classical name for the west wind, preserved through scholarly Latin”
16th Century
English
zephyr
“A gentle breeze, especially a soft west wind”
Modern English
English
Zephyrus
“The Greek west-wind deity or a poetic personification of the west wind”