selkie

American  

[sil-kee] / ˈsɪl ki /

Rarely sealchie sometimes silkie

noun

Scot.

1. a mythical creature that looks like a seal in water but assumes human form on land.

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selkie British  

/ ˈsɛlkɪ /

noun

1. a variant of silkie

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Etymology

Origin of selkie

First recorded in 1685–95; Scots dialect (Orkney and Shetland Islands) variant of seal ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

She puts it on and is revealed to be a selkie, as at home in the waters as she is on land.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2015

When it was just the child and the water, perfectly still, the laughing selkie baby of imagination seemed never more distant.

From Nature • Nov. 4, 2014

At first, the character’s decorative appeal is enough, particularly because Annie insists that Ondine is a selkie, a mythical sea creature — half human, half seal — which justifies the strange woman’s vague, mysterioso vibe.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2010

She neither confirms nor denies that she's a selkie.

From Time • Jun. 3, 2010

The selkie stories of seal creatures were well known, oft told, and in all of them there was a shed skin.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry