Entry Word: naiad

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors <in Greek mythology, naiads supposedly drowned the young men with whom they became enamored> — see nymph 1
2 a young wingless often wormlike form (as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects <in science class we learned how to distinguish a dragonfly naiad from an earthworm> — see larva