merman

¹

[mur-man]

noun

plural

mermen 

1. (in folklore) a male marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a man and the tail of a fish.

2. a highly skilled male swimmer.

Merman

²

[mur-muhn]

noun

1. Ethel Ethel Agnes Zimmerman, 1909–84, U.S. singer, musical comedy star, and actress.

merman

/ ˈmɜːˌmæn /

noun

1. a male counterpart of the mermaid

Word History and Origins

Origin of merman¹

1595–1605; earlier mere-man; mere ², man

Word History and Origins

Origin of merman¹

C17: see _mermaid

Example Sentences

But the first mermaid that comes into focus doesn’t so much evoke wonder as it does a flashback of Ben Stiller’s merman in “Zoolander.”

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In her first novel, “The Pisces,” a disaffected Sappho scholar named Lucy has a love affair with Theo, a merman.

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On “The Mighty Boosh,” one of the strange and beautiful characters he played was a merman who shot light out of his “man-gina.”

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He is tall and strong, with uncanny blue eyes—“sea-cold,” “merman” eyes.

Read more on The New Yorker

But Mr. Van Ness was not feeling his normal gorgeous self, the boisterous “Yass queen” merman that fans of “Queer Eye” adore.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• mariner