Sybil

  • [ SIB-əl ]
  • English
Variant of SIBYL. This spelling variation has existed since the Middle Ages.

SIBYL   female   English
From Greek Σιβυλλα (Sibylla), meaning "prophetess, sibyl". In Greek and Roman legend the sibyls were ten female prophets who practiced at different holy sites in the ancient world. In later Christian theology, the sibyls were thought to have divine knowledge and were revered in much the same way as the Old Testament prophets. Because of this, the name came into general use in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was spelled both Sibyl and Sybil. It became rare after the Protestant Reformation, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps helped by Benjamin Disraeli's novel 'Sybil' (1845).
EQUIVALENTS
ENGLISH: Cybill, Sibyl, Sybella
FRENCH: Sibylle, Sybille
GERMAN: Sibylla, Sibylle, Sybille
GREEK: Sibylla
ITALIAN: Sibilla
LATE GREEK: Sibylla
LATE ROMAN: Sibylla, Sybilla
POLISH: Sybilla
SWEDISH: Sibylla