undine

[ uhn-deen, uhn-deen ]

/ ʌnˈdin, ˈʌn din /

noun

any of a group of female water spirits described by Paracelsus.

Nearby words

undigestible, undignified, undiluted, undiminished, undimmed, undine, undiplomatic, undirected, undisciplined, undisclosed, undiscovered

Origin of undine

< New Latin undīna (1658; coined by Paracelsus), equivalent to Latin und(a) wave, water + -īna -ine¹

SYNONYMS FOR undine

See sylph.

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

Examples from the Web for undine

Here the girls sat under the pines and Hester read aloud from Undine.
A Book of Bryn Mawr Stories|Marian T. MacIntosh
For the true story of the beautiful Undine was known to none, save to the knight alone.
Undine|Friedrich de la Motte Fouque
The longer Huldbrand sought Undine beneath the shades of night, and failed to find her, the more anxious and confused he became.
Undine|Friedrich de la Motte Fouque
It was like the curious peeping of which the knight had been guilty, spying through the keyhole upon his wife, Undine.
Sleep Walking and Moon Walking|Isidor Isaak Sadger

This rejoiced him much, for he could see Undine sitting in a brilliant hall of crystal.
Famous Stories Every Child Should Know|Various

British Dictionary definitions for undine

undine

/ (ˈʌndiːn) /

noun

any of various female water spirits

Word Origin for undine

C17: from New Latin undina, from Latin unda a wave

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 undine

undine

1821, from Modern Latin Undina (1650s), coined by Paracelsus ("De Nymphis") for a water spirit in his alchemical system, from Latin unda "a wave" (see water). Popularized by German romance "Undine, eine Erzählung" (1811) by Baron F.H.C. La Motte Fouqué. Undinism (1928) was coined by sex researcher Havelock Ellis to describe the fetish for urine (which Ellis had); nowadays it would be called urophilia.