mermaid

noun

mer·​maid ˈmər-ˌmād How to pronounce mermaid (audio)
: a fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish

Examples of mermaid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Those visuals included a mother wolf and her cubs, a mermaid floating underwater and CGI-Shakira crying a teardrop that turned into a shower of diamonds. Olivia Petty, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025 The Poseidon and Amphitrite statue pays homage to the mythological guardians of the sea and preside over structures engineered for coral regrowth, while the interactive mermaid tail and diver selfie sculptures encourages visitors to literally see themselves as stewards of the ocean. Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2025 The dresses included a floor-length green mermaid gown from Cache, a pink satin gown with diamante details around the chest and waist from Bloomingdale's, and a white gown with silver embellishments—also from Cache. Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025 The project, named Guardians of the Reef, includes 50 modules, 38 of which emulate coral reef habitat and 12 of which are sculptures, including mermaids, oceanic deities such as Poseidon and Amphitrite, and marine animals such as a turtle, octopus and manta ray. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mermaid

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mermayde, from mere sea (from Old English) + mayde maid — more at marine

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mermaid was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mermaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mermaid. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

mermaid

noun
mer·​maid ˈmər-ˌmād How to pronounce mermaid (audio)
: an imaginary sea creature usually represented with a woman's body and a fish's tail
Etymology

Middle English mermayde "mermaid," from mere "lake, pool, sea" and mayde "maid"

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