Nearby Words

Mermaid

[mur-meyd] Origin

mer·maid

[mur-meyd]
noun
1.
(in folklore) a female marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the tail of a fish.
2.
a highly skilled female swimmer.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English mermayde. See mere2, maid
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Mermaid is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
mermaid (ˈmɜːˌmeɪd)
 
n
an imaginary sea creature fabled to have a woman's head and upper body and a fish's tail
 
[C14: from mere lake, inlet + maid]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mermaid
late 14c., mermayde, lit. "maid of the sea," from M.E. mere "sea, lake" (see mere (n.)) + maid (q.v.). O.E. had equivalent merewif (see wife). Tail-less in northern Europe; the fishy form is a medieval influence from classical sirens. A favorite sign of taverns since at least
EXPAND
1428. Merman is a later formation (1601).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

mermaid definition


A legendary marine creature with the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish; the masculine, less well-known equivalent is a merman. Though linked to the classical Sirens, mermaids may be nothing more than sailors' fanciful reports of the playful antics of dugongs or manatees.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

mermaid

a fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a human being and the tail of a fish. Similar divine or semidivine beings appear in ancient mythologies (e.g., the Chaldean sea god Ea, or Oannes). In European folklore, mermaids (sometimes called sirens) and mermen were natural beings who, like fairies, had magical and prophetic powers. They loved music and often sang. Though very long-lived, they were mortal and had no souls

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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