Meanings
plural mermaid's purses · alternative mermaids' purse
- The egg case of a skate, shark or ratfish.
He reflected that it had probably come in over the outer reef to lay its eggs, or 'Mermaids' Purses' as the fishermen call them, because they are shaped like a pillow with a stiff black string at each corner, on the sheltered sandy bottom.
1954, Ian Fleming, “Beau Desert”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 206Synonyms: devil's purse, sailor's purse, sea-purse, sea-pincushion
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe egg case of a skate, shark or ratfish.
Translations
French bourse de sirènes, capsule d'œufs
- bourse de sirènesthe egg case of a cartilaginous fish
- capsule d'œufsthe egg case of a cartilaginous fish
Cite this entry
mermaid's purse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mermaid's%20purse
“mermaid's purse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mermaid's%20purse. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mermaid's purse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mermaid's%20purse.
Source: mermaid's purse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.