mermaid

American  

[mur-meyd] / ˈmɜrˌmeɪd /

noun

• mermaids
  plural

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

2. a highly skilled female swimmer.

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mermaid British  

/ ˈmɜːˌmeɪd /

noun

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

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mermaid Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mermaids
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mermaid

First recorded in 1300–50, mermaid is from the Middle English word mermayde. See mere ², maid

Explanation

A mermaid is mythical sea creature that has the head and upper body of a woman and a tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in folklore from around the world, from the ancient Greek sirens who were said to lure sailors to a watery death, to the Mami Wata water spirits from African mythology. The Disney version of mermaids comes from the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Little Mermaid," about a mermaid who trades her life in the sea for love with a human. Mermaid means "maid of the sea," from mere, "sea" in Middle English.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mermaid mermaids

While looking over the proofs for her latest cookbook, she picked up a marker and drew a mermaid.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Of course, some of what he exhibited for his patrons had nothing to do with the real world—like his infamous Fiji mermaid, purportedly half monkey, half fish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

That could mean a classic A-line or ballgown for the ceremony with a shift to mermaid cut, column or mini dress for later events, she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025

Here she sang it while standing in a glittering mermaid gown that seemed to make it impossible for her to move — some kind of metaphor for the gilded cage of a celebrity romance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

When I get on the other side of Jonesy, I see she’s had someone draw another mermaid tattoo on her right shoulder.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Have warm feelings toward Copenhagen’s favorite son, Hans Christian Andersen, and his little tales about lovelorn mermaids and ugly ducklings?

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2025

He stayed in a large bedroom on the first floor’s west wing, which features a delicate plaster frieze of mermaids and multiple layers of ancient wooden panelling.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2024

In my forthcoming book, I consider the relationship between mermaids and Barbie dolls.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2023

Mythical hybrid beasts such as mermaids, centaurs and chimeras testify to our enduring fascination with the plasticity of biological form: the idea that natural organisms can mutate or be reconfigured.

From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023

We stay in the sea for hours pretending we are mermaids, and when we finally come out, our skin is all wrinkly.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

• gnome
• goblin
• imp
• leprechaun