[mur-meyd] 
| 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. |
| mer·maid (mûr'mād') n. A legendary sea creature having the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish. [Middle English : mere, sea, lake; see mere2 + maid, maid; see maid.] |
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.
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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