mermaid

/ˈmʌrmeɪd/

/ˈmʌmeɪd/

Other forms: mermaids

A mermaid is mythical sea creature that has the head and upper body of a woman and a tail of a fish.

Mermaids appear in folklore from around the world, from the ancient Greek sirens who were said to lure sailors to a watery death, to the Mami Wata water spirits from African mythology. The Disney version of mermaids comes from the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Little Mermaid," about a mermaid who trades her life in the sea for love with a human. Mermaid means "maid of the sea," from mere, "sea" in Middle English.

Definitions of mermaid

1. noun

   half woman and half fish; lives in the sea
   type of:

   imaginary being, imaginary creature

   a creature of the imagination; a person that exists only in legends or myths or fiction