mermaid

noun

mer·​maid ˈmər-ˌmād 

: 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

Her makeup had a sultry rocker edge to it with the black eyeliner and pink-toned nude lip, while her hair served beachy glam courtesy of her effortless mermaid waves. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025

The mermaid is meant to disrupt that ecosystem and destabilize its inhabitants, but there comes a point when Cornack’s film suffers from organizing a climax around its ornamental creature. —J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025

In body and scowl, Paquita radiated like the Disney villain Ursula — a character also inspired by a drag queen, famed actor and performer Divine — but in spirit and heart was far from the sea-dwelling witch who stole an innocent mermaid’s voice. —Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025

The mermaids are back at Camden's Adventure Aquarium. —Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for mermaid

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

mermaid

noun

mer·​maid ˈmər-ˌmād 

: 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"