naiad

[ ney-ad, -uhd, nahy- ]
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noun,plural nai·ads, nai·a·des [ney-uh-deez, nahy-]. /ˈneɪ əˌdiz, ˈnaɪ-/.
  1. (sometimes initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. any of a class of nymphs presiding over rivers and springs.

  2. the juvenile form of the dragonfly, damselfly, or mayfly.

  1. a female swimmer, especially an expert one.

  2. Botany. a plant of the genus Najas, having narrow leaves and solitary flowers.

  3. Entomology. an aquatic nymph.

  4. a freshwater mussel.

Origin of naiad

1
<Latin Nāïad- (stem of Nāïas) <Greek Nāïás a water nymph

Words Nearby naiad

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How to use naiad in a sentence

  • On seeing her, Saldaa thought of a naiad of the North, rising from an emerald river, in which cakes of ice were floating.

    The Enemies of Women | Vicente Blasco Ibez
  • What was my surprise, and I almost say my joy, when I saw that the white figure was my naiad?

British Dictionary definitions for naiad

naiad

/ (ˈnaɪæd) /


nounplural -ads or -ades (-əˌdiːz)
  1. Greek myth a nymph dwelling in a lake, river, spring, or fountain

  2. the aquatic larva of the dragonfly, mayfly, and related insects

  1. Also called: water nymph any monocotyledonous submerged aquatic plant of the genus Naias (or Najas), having narrow leaves and small flowers: family Naiadaceae (or Najadaceae)

  2. any of certain freshwater mussels of the genus Unio: See mussel (def. 2)

Origin of naiad

1
C17: via Latin from Greek nāias water nymph; related to náein to flow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012