mermaid
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a legendary creature with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish.
a mythological aquatic creature possessing the head and torso of a woman and the caudal fin of a fish.
Simple“In the old story, the mermaid traded her voice for a pair of legs.”
In context“Sailors in the nineteenth century often claimed to have spotted mermaids, though modern historians suggest these were likely misidentified manatees.”
Synonymssirensea maiden - 02 C2 Proficiency
an old, offensive word for a woman who sells sex.
a historical and derogatory term for a prostitute.
Simple“The old play used the word mermaid to describe a woman of the streets.”
In context“In Elizabethan drama, the term mermaid was frequently employed as a euphemism for a prostitute, playing on the theme of dangerous temptation.”
UsageThis sense is entirely obsolete in modern conversation and is only encountered in Renaissance literature.
Synonymsprostituteharlot
From Middle English mermayde (“maid of the sea”), from mere (“sea, lake”) + maid, equivalent to mer- + maid. Cognate with Dutch meermeid (“mermaid”), Middle High German mermaget, mermeit (“mermaid”, > German Meermagd, Meermädchen (“mermaid”)). Compare Old English meremenn, meremennen, meremenin (“mermaid, siren”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.