naiad
(sometimes initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. any of a class of nymphs presiding over rivers and springs.
the juvenile form of the dragonfly, damselfly, or mayfly.
a female swimmer, especially an expert one.
Botany. a plant of the genus Najas, having narrow leaves and solitary flowers.
Entomology. an aquatic nymph.
a freshwater mussel.
Origin of naiad
1Words Nearby naiad
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use naiad in a sentence
First, a naiad is a water nymph in Greek myth—a woman who looked over the waterways.
The Crossword Puzzle Turns 100: The ‘King of Crossword’ on Its Strange History | Kevin Fallon | December 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIf you look in the dictionary today, it says “naiad: any skillful female wimmer.”
The Crossword Puzzle Turns 100: The ‘King of Crossword’ on Its Strange History | Kevin Fallon | December 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAs for the Hebe and the naiad, they had vanished in the northern board, and as yet there were no signs of their return.
A Middy of the King | Harry CollingwoodOne day, while looking into a quiet stream, he thought he saw a lovely naiad in the water gazing up at him.
'Round the Year in Myth and Song | Florence HolbrookLike some of our own pellucid waters, it is a naiad of the purest kind, sleeping on coral and crystal couches.
The Portland Sketch Book | Various
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 IbezWhat was my surprise, and I almost say my joy, when I saw that the white figure was my naiad?
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 1 - No. 1, | Various
British Dictionary definitions for naiad
/ (ˈnaɪæd) /
Greek myth a nymph dwelling in a lake, river, spring, or fountain
the aquatic larva of the dragonfly, mayfly, and related insects
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)
any of certain freshwater mussels of the genus Unio: See mussel (def. 2)
Origin of naiad
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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