mermaid

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a mythical sea creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish

   The old sailor claimed that a mermaid had followed his ship through the fog.

2. 2
   noun

   a woman likened to a mermaid because she is swimming, drenched, or strongly associated with the sea

   She emerged from the rain dripping like a mermaid.

Simplified etymology

Mermaid, recorded from the Middle Ages, ultimately derives from Latin mare, meaning “sea,” the root also found in marine, mariner, and maritime.

From Middle English mermayde, literally 'maid of the sea,' combining mere, an old word for sea or lake, with maid. Mere descends from Old English mere, and similar Germanic compounds occur in Dutch and German. Older English also had meremennen for a female water spirit.

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External links

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