definitions

dryad

[ drahy-uh d, -ad ]
/ ˈdraɪ əd, -æd /
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noun, plural dry·ads, dry·a·des [drahy-uh-deez] /ˈdraɪ əˌdiz/. (often initial capital letter) Classical Mythology.

a deity or nymph of the woods.

RELATED WORDS

fairy, spirit, goddess, sprite, naiad, nymphet, sylph, mermaid

Nearby words

dry-rot, dry-salt, dry-shod, dry-stone, dry-wall, dryad, dryadic, dryads, dryas, drybrush, dryden
Compare hamadryad.

Origin of dryad

1545–55; extracted from Greek Dryádes, plural of Dryás, derivative of drŷ(s) tree, oak
Related formsdry·ad·ic [drahy-ad-ik] /draɪˈæd ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dryad

British Dictionary definitions for dryad

dryad

/ (ˈdraɪəd, -æd) /

noun plural -ads or -ades (-əˌdiːz)

Greek myth a nymph or divinity of the woods
Derived Formsdryadic (draɪˈædɪk), adjective

Word Origin for dryad

C14: from Latin Dryas, from Greek Druas, from drus tree
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

Word Origin and History for dryad

dryad

n.

1550s, from Latin dryas, from Greek dryas (plural dryades) "wood nymph," from drus (genitive dryos) "oak," from PIE *deru- "tree, wood, oak" (see tree (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper