Meanings
plural water nymphs
- human sciencesA female spirit presiding over fountains, wells, streams, etc.
We cannot refrain from suspecting that in the original legend these were Valkyrias and not Water-nymphs, for these last would hardly strip to go into the water, their native element.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 214
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsubmerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers; of fresh or brackish water
nouna water lily having large leaves and showy fragrant flowers that float on the water; of temperate and tropical regions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishwater-nymph
- Englishwater nymph
From Middle English water-nymph, equivalent to water + nymph.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
water nymph. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20nymph
“water nymph.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20nymph. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “water nymph,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20nymph.
Source: water nymph on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.