nymph
one of a numerous class of lesser deities of mythology, conceived of as beautiful maidens inhabiting the sea, rivers, woods, trees, mountains, meadows, etc., and frequently mentioned as attending a superior deity.
a beautiful or graceful young woman.
a maiden.
the young of an insect that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis.
Origin of nymph
1synonym study For nymph
Other words for nymph
Other words from nymph
- nymphal, nym·phe·an [nim-fee-uhn], /ˈnɪm fi ən/, adjective
- un·nymph·al, adjective
- un·nym·phe·an, adjective
Words Nearby nymph
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use nymph in a sentence
The bugs have very little Massospora in them when they’re in their nymph stage, one of the times when they’re ideal for eating, Lovett said.
A fungus could turn some cicadas into sex-crazed ‘salt shakers of death’ | Marisa Iati | May 19, 2021 | Washington PostThis recipe calls for tenerals, though you could try it with nymphs.
Want to try cicadas? Give the Brood X insects this spicy popcorn treatment | Kari Sonde | May 19, 2021 | Washington PostSix to 10 weeks later, the eggs hatch into tiny nymphs, which fall to the earth and tunnel underground.
An Animated Guide to This Year's Massive Brood X Cicada Emergence | Rebecca Katzman | May 12, 2021 | TimeAt that point, the nymphs will surface again, climb out and promptly ascend the nearest tall object.
Six to eight weeks later, the eggs will develop into nymphs, which will then fall back to earth and dig themselves underground.
Trillions of 'Brood X' Cicadas Are About to Emerge Across the U.S. to Sing, Mate and Die. Here's What to Expect | Rebecca Katzman | April 14, 2021 | Time
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 BEASTTaurus draws on the myth of Io, the nymph who was turned into a snow-white cow.
The nymph-muse is a part that Portman was in some ways born for.
I have consulted God and demigod; the nymph of the river, and what I far more admire and trust, my blue-eyed Minerva.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI | Robert Louis StevensonIt runs thus:—Saradvat, by the magnitude of his penances, frightened Indra, who sent a celestial nymph to tempt him.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanBut I'm going to stay on and see my nymph safely through her dark days.
Jane Journeys On | Ruth Comfort MitchellEpimenides of Cnossos was born of the loves of a mortal and a nymph.
The Story Of The Duchess Of Cicogne And Of Monsieur De Boulingrin | Anatole FranceBut in the times before Shakespeare the name was more poetically said to be derived from the nymph Phyllis.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare | Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
British Dictionary definitions for nymph
/ (nɪmf) /
myth a spirit of nature envisaged as a beautiful maiden
mainly poetic a beautiful young woman
the immature form of some insects, such as the dragonfly and mayfly, and certain arthropods. Nymphs resemble the adult, apart from having underdeveloped reproductive organs and (in the case of insects) wings, and develop into the adult without a pupal stage
Origin of nymph
1Derived forms of nymph
- nymphal or nymphean (ˈnɪmfɪən), adjective
- nymphlike, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for nymph
[ nĭmf ]
The immature form of those insects that do not pass through a pupal stage. Nymphs usually resemble the adults, but are smaller, lack fully developed wings, and are sexually immature. Compare imago larva pupa.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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