definitions

merman

[ mur-man ]
/ ˈmɜrˌmæn /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR merman ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mer·men.

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

RELATED WORDS

gob, sailor, mate, skipper, seafarer, navigator, salt, pilot, midshipman, tar, middy, beachcomber, cockswain, jacky

Nearby words

mermaid, mermaid tavern, mermaid weed, mermaid's purse, mermaid's wineglass, merman, merman, ethel, mermen, merneptah, mero-, meroblastic

Origin of merman

1595–1605; earlier mere-man; see mere2, man1

Definition for merman (2 of 2)

Merman

[ mur-muh n ]
/ ˈmɜr mən /

noun

EthelEthel Agnes Zimmerman, 1909–84, U.S. singer, musical comedy star, and actress.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for merman

British Dictionary definitions for merman

merman

/ (ˈmɜːˌmæn) /

noun plural -men

a male counterpart of the mermaid

Word Origin for merman

C17: see mermaid
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 merman

merman

n.

c.1600, literally "man of the sea," from first element in mermaid (q.v.) + man (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper