- an imaginary sea creature fabled to have a woman's head and upper body and a fish's tail
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mer•maid /ˈmɜrˌmeɪd/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Mythology(in folklore) a female creature of the sea, having the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish.
mer•maid
(mûr′mād′),USA pronunciation n.
- Mythology(in folklore) a female marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the tail of a fish.
- a highly skilled female swimmer.
- Middle English mermayde. See mere2, maid 1300–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mermaid /ˈmɜːˌmeɪd/ n
'mermaid' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Bragg
- merman
- Miles
- biform
- mermaid's purse
- mermaid's wineglass
- Mermaid Tavern
- mermaid weed
- sea-maid