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nymph

Syllabification: (nymph)
Pronunciation: /nimf/
Translate nymph | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of nymph

noun

  • 1a mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations.
  • chiefly literary a beautiful young woman.
  • 2an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows, e.g., a dragonfly, mayfly, or locust. Compare with larva.
  • an artificial fly made to resemble the aquatic nymph of an insect, used in fishing.
  • 3a mainly brown butterfly that frequents woods and forest glades.
    • Several genera in the subfamily Satyrinae, family Nymphalidae. See also wood nymph

Derivatives

nymphal

Pronunciation: /ˈnimfəl/
adjective

nymphean

Pronunciation: /ˈnimfēən/
adjective

nymphlike

Pronunciation: /-līk/
adjective

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French nimphe, from Latin nympha, from Greek numphē 'nymph, bride'; related to Latin nubere 'be the wife of'

nymph in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of nymph in the British & World English dictionary

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