Meanings
plural mermaidens
- A mermaid; a maiden of the sea; a siren.
The Neck here his harp in the glass-castle plays, And Mermaidens comb out their green hair always, And bleach here their shining white clothes.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 1561 more example
“My roses are yellow,” it answered; “as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and yellower than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower comes with his scythe.”
1888, Oscar Wilde, “The Nightingale and the Rose”, in The Happy Prince and Other Tales, London: Duckworth, published 1928, page 43
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Middle Englishmeremaiden“mermaid”
- Englishmermaiden
From Middle English meremaiden (“mermaid”), from mere (“mere, sea”) + maiden (“maiden”), equivalent to mer- + maiden. Compare Old English meremennen (“mermaid, siren”). More at mere, maiden.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
mermaiden. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mermaiden
“mermaiden.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mermaiden. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mermaiden,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mermaiden.
Source: mermaiden on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.