MERMAID

mermaid

(noun) half woman and half fish; lives in the sea

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

mermaid (plural mermaids)

A mythological creature with a woman's head and upper body, and a tail of a fish.

(as a modifier) Coloured a brilliant turquoise.

(obsolete) A prostitute.

Synonyms

• (mythological creature): mergirl, merlady, mermaiden, merwoman

• (prostitute): hooker, lady of the night; see also prostitute

Hypernyms

• (mythological creature):merperson

Hyponyms

• (mythological creature): mermother, merqueen

Holonyms

• (mythological creature): merfolk

Coordinate terms

• (mythological creature): melusine, nixie, siren

Source: Wiktionary


Mer"maid, n. Etym: [AS. mere lake, sea. See Mere lake, and maid.]

Definition: A fabled marine creature, typically represented as having the upper part like that of a woman, and the lower like a fish; a sea nymph, sea woman, or woman fish.

Note: Chaucer uses this word as equivalent to the siren of the ancients. Mermaid fish (Zoöl.) the angel fish (Squatina).

– Mermaid's glove (Zoöl.), a British branched sponge somewhat resembling a glove.

– Mermaid's head (Zoöl.), a European spatangoid sea urchin (Echinocardium cordatum) having some resemblance to a skull.

– Mermaid weed (Bot.), an aquatic herb with dentate or pectinate leaves (Proserpinaca palustris and P. pectinacea).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

6 June 2025

PUNGENCY

(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.

coffee icon