nymph
/ˈnɪmf/ noun, verb
Forms nymphs nymphae nymphing nymphed nymphe
- noun (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) Any female nature spirit associated with water, forests, grottos, wind, etc.
- noun A young girl, especially one who is attractive, beautiful or graceful.
- noun (entomology) The larva of certain insects.
- noun (entomology) Any of various butterflies of the family Nymphalidae.
- verb (fishing) To fish using a nymph larva as bait.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English nimphe, from Old English nymphē and Old French nimphe, both from Latin nympha (“nymph, bride”), from Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young maiden”). Doublet of nympha.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A goddess of the mountains, forests, meadows, or waters.
- noun Hence: A lovely young girl; a maiden; a damsel.
Etymology [L. nympha nymph, bride, young woman, Gr. nymphe. Cf. Nuptial.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “nymph”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details