nymph

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

nymph, n. [L. nympha nymph, bride, young woman, Gr. ny`mfh: cf. F. nymphe. Cf. Nuptial.].

•  A goddess of the mountains, forests, meadows, or waters.  [1913 Webster]

  "Where were ye, nymphs, when the remorseless deep
  Closed o'er the head of your loved Lycidas?"  [1913 Webster]
•  A lovely young girl; a maiden; a damsel.  [1913 Webster]

  "Nymph, in thy orisons
  Be all my sins remembered."  [1913 Webster]
•  The pupa of an insect; a chrysalis.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any one of a subfamily (Najades) of butterflies including the purples, the fritillaries, the peacock butterfly, etc.; -- called also naiad.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

nymph, n.
1 any of various mythological semi-divine spirits regarded as maidens and associated with aspects of nature, esp. rivers and woods.
2 poet. a beautiful young woman.
3 a an immature form of some insects. b a young dragonfly or damselfly.

Derivative

nymphal adj. nymphean adj. nymphlike adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF nimphe f. L nympha f. Gk numphe

THESAURUS

nymph

Anlage, Atlantides, Hyades, Napaea, Pleiades, arachnid, arthropod, aurelia, beetle, blastula, bug, caterpillar, centipede, chilopod, chippy, chrysalis, cocoon, daddy longlegs, diplopod, dryad, embryo, fetus, floozy, flower nymph, fly, germ, germen, glen nymph, grisette, grub, hamadryad, harvestman, hexapod, insect, larva, limoniad, maggot, millepede, millipede, mite, mountain nymph, nympha, nymphet, nymphlin, oread, pupa, rudiment, scorpion, spider, tarantula, tick, tree nymph, vila, wiggler, willi, wood nymph, wriggler, zygote

ROGET THESAURUS

nymph

Infant

N infant, babe, baby, babe in arms, nurseling, suckling, yearling, weanling, papoose, bambino, kid, vagitus, child, bairn, little one, brat, chit, pickaninny, urchin, bantling, bratling, elf, youth, boy, lad, stripling, youngster, youngun, younker, callant, whipster, whippersnapper, whiffet, schoolboy, hobbledehoy, hopeful, cadet, minor, master, scion, sap, seedling, tendril, olive branch, nestling, chicken, larva, chrysalis, tadpole, whelp, cub, pullet, fry, callow, codlin, codling, foetus, calf, colt, pup, foal, kitten, lamb, lambkin, aurelia, caterpillar, cocoon, nymph, nympha, orphan, pupa, staddle, girl, lass, lassie, wench, miss, damsel, demoiselle, maid, maiden, virgin, hoyden, infantine, infantile, puerile, boyish, girlish, childish, babyish, kittenish, baby, newborn, unfledged, new-fledged, callow, in the cradle, in swaddling clothes, in long clothes, in arms, in leading strings, at the breast, in one's teens.

Jupiter

N Jupiter, god, goddess, heathen gods and goddesses, deva, Jupiter, Jove, pantheon, Allah, Bathala, Brahm, Brahma, Brahma, cloud-compeller, Devi, Durga, Kali, oread, the Great Spirit, Ushas, water nymph, wood nymph, Yama, Varuna, Zeus, Vishnu, Siva, Shiva, Krishna, Juggernath, Buddha, Isis, Osiris, Ra, Belus, Bel, Baal, Asteroth, Thor, Odin, Mumbo Jumbo, good genius, tutelary genius, demiurge, familiar, sibyl, fairy, fay, sylph, sylphid, Ariel, peri, nymph, nereid, dryad, seamaid, banshee, benshie, Ormuzd, Oberon, Mab, hamadryad, naiad, mermaid, kelpie, Ondine, nixie, sprite, denizens of the air, pixy, mythology, heathen-mythology, fairy-mythology, Lempriere, folklore, god-like, fairy-like, sylph-like, sylphic, you moonshine revelers and shades of night.

Woman

N woman, she, her, female, petticoat, feminality, muliebrity, womanhood, womankind, the sex, the fair, fair sex, softer sex, weaker vessel, dame, madam, madame, mistress, Mrs, lady, donna belle, matron, dowager, goody, gammer, Frau, frow, Vrouw, rani, good woman, good wife, squaw, wife, matronage, matronhood, bachelor girl, new woman, feminist, suffragette, suffragist, nymph, wench, grisette, girl, sissy, betty, cot betty, cotquean, henhussy, mollycoddle, muff, old woman, hen, bitch, sow, doe, roe, mare, she goat, Nanny goat, tabita, ewe, cow, lioness, tigress, vixen, gynecaeum, estrogen, oestrogen, consanguinity &c, paternity, lesbian, dyke, female, she-, feminine, womanly, ladylike, matronly, maidenly, wifely, womanish, effeminate, unmanly, gynecic, gynaecic, Pron, she, her, hers, ', a perfect woman nobly planned, a lovely lady garmented in white, das Ewig-Weibliche zieht uns hinan, earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected, es de vidrio la mujer, she moves a goddess and she looks a queen, the beauty of a lovely woman is like music, varium et mutabile semper femina, woman is the lesser man.