mermaid

[ mur-meyd ]

/ ˈmɜrˌmeɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mermaid ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(in folklore) a female marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the tail of a fish.

a highly skilled female swimmer.

Nearby words

merleau-ponty, merlin, merlo, merlon, merlot, mermaid, mermaid tavern, mermaid weed, mermaid's purse, mermaid's wineglass, merman

Origin of mermaid

First recorded in 1300–50, mermaid is from the Middle English word mermayde. See mere², maid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mermaid

Dora is seen getting dressed as a mermaid by a cursor being manned by some omniscient game player.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She occasionally has to dress up as a mermaid for her gig at a fancy Miami hotel.
‘Jane the Virgin’ Is The CW’s Best Show Ever|Amy Zimmerman|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was inspired by the short story “Mermaid in a Jar” by writer Sheila Heti, who spoke with Simmons for Interview magazine.
A Doll’s Life: Laurie Simmons Explores Kigurumi|Ann Binlot|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Daryl Hannah plays the mermaid who names herself after an avenue and eats the whole lobster.
Nora Ephron’s Favorite Love Stories|Nora Ephron|February 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The sea-green silk would not do forever, in place after place; they would call her the mermaid.
The Other Girls|Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
I know one case where a person had a letter D on left breast; it is now made into Mermaid.
Dactylography|Henry Faulds
That's why dugongs and manatees started the mermaid myths—sailors thought they saw human features on the beasts.
Valley of Dreams|Stanley Grauman Weinbaum
Only with this difference—that the mermaid dies of it, it, while human beings can acclam—acclimatise themselves.
The Lady From The Sea|Henrik Ibsen
It had a comb in its hand, for one thing; and besides, my dear, I hope I know a mermaid when I see it.
The March Family Trilogy, Complete|William Dean Howells

British Dictionary definitions for mermaid

mermaid

/ (ˈmɜːˌmeɪd) /

noun

an imaginary sea creature fabled to have a woman's head and upper body and a fish's tail

Word Origin for mermaid

C14: from mere lake, inlet + maid

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

Culture definitions for mermaid

mermaid

A legendary marine creature with the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish; the masculine, less well-known equivalent is a merman. Though linked to the classical Sirens, mermaids may be nothing more than sailors' fanciful reports of the playful antics of dugongs or manatees.