dryad

/ˈdraɪəd/

Other forms: dryads; dryades

A dryad is a fairy-like mythological creature. Dryads are known as tree spirits in Greek mythology.

Greek myths link dryads specifically with oak trees, and the Greek root of dryad is drus, or "oak." Some dryads were so connected to their trees that if the tree died, they died too — as a result, Greek gods were stern with mortals who harmed trees. Dryads appear in many works of literature, from Milton's Paradise Lost to the ballet Don Quixote.

Definitions of dryad

1. noun

   a deity or nymph of the woods
   synonyms: wood nymph

   types:

   hamadryad

   the nymph or spirit of a particular tree

   type of:

   nymph

   (classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden