nymph

American  

[nimf] / nɪmf /

noun

• nymphs
  plural

1. one of a numerous class of lesser deities of mythology, conceived of as beautiful maidens inhabiting the sea, rivers, woods, trees, mountains, meadows, etc., and frequently mentioned as attending a superior deity.

   Synonyms:

   hamadryad, dryad, oread, naiad

2. a beautiful or graceful young woman.

3. a maiden.

4. the young of an insect that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis.

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nymph British  

/ nɪmf /

noun

1. myth a spirit of nature envisaged as a beautiful maiden

2. poetic a beautiful young woman

3. the immature form of some insects, such as the dragonfly and mayfly, and certain arthropods. Nymphs resemble the adult, apart from having underdeveloped reproductive organs and (in the case of insects) wings, and develop into the adult without a pupal stage

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nymph Scientific  

/ nĭmf /

1. The immature form of those insects that do not pass through a pupal stage. Nymphs usually resemble the adults, but are smaller, lack fully developed wings, and are sexually immature.

2. Compare imago larva pupa

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Synonym Usage

See sylph.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nymphal
  adjective
• nymphean
  adjective
• nymphlike
  adjective
• unnymphal
  adjective
• unnymphean
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nymphs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of nymph

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nimphe, from Latin nympha, from Greek nýmphē “bride, nymph”

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Explanation

If you're excited to have spotted a nymph, you must take an interest in attractive young women or in bugs. It's really none of my business either way. The word nymph comes straight out of Greek mythology, where it described nature spirits in the form of young women usually found in the woods. When you didn't return to the campsite for so long, I thought you'd either been eaten by a bear or run off with a nymph. What do you mean you ran off with a bear? Or were you just out looking for the insect larva kind of nymphs?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nymph nymphs

The clip showed a conversation between Odysseus and Calypso, a nymph who holds the mythical king on her island for several years.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Hidden in plain sight, an ambush bug nymph waits motionless inside a flower in Michigan.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

Echo is presumably the tragic nymph of mythology who was cursed by Hera to be little more than a voice that could only repeat the last words spoken to her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026

Many humans are infected when they’re nipped by nymph ticks, a period in their life cycle when they’re roughly the size of a poppy seed and barely visible to the naked eye.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2025

She went to Aeolus, the King of the Winds, who had tried to help Ulysses, and asked him to sink the Trojan ships, promising him in return her loveliest nymph for his wife.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

The parade theme was “Tales of the Seven Seas,” and in the downpour, 30 flowered nymphs were washed off one float.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

They hoped to disrupt the molting process of cicada nymphs, which need to shed their outer layer to emerge as adults.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

It possesses a magic that places them alongside folk nymphs like Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, and Sandy Denny.

From BBC ● May 30, 2025

Eventually, the cicada nymphs will hatch, fall into the ground, burrow down, and start their 13- and 17-year cycles all over again.

From Salon ● May 16, 2024

Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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