Link Centre Dictionary

mermaid

mer·maid

UK/ˈmɜːˌmeɪd/ US/ˈmɝ.meɪd/ fairly common

noun

1.

half woman and half fish; lives in the sea

Origin

From Middle English mermayde (“maid of the sea”), from mere (“sea, lake”) + maid, equivalent to mer- + maid. Cognate with Dutch meermeid (“mermaid”), Middle High German mermaget, mermeit (“mermaid”, > German Meermagd, Meermädchen (“mermaid”)). Compare Old English meremenn, meremennen, meremenin (“mermaid, siren”).

Phrases

  • false mermaid
  • Fiji mermaid
  • mermaid skirt
  • mermaid's fishing line
  • mermaid's glove
  • mermaid's hair
  • mermaid's head
  • mermaid's purse

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.