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mermaid

Etymology and origin of the English word mermaid

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmɜːˌmeɪd/ (UK); /ˈmɝ.meɪd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

A Middle English compound of mere “sea, lake” and maid,[2][3][4][5][6] literally “maid of the sea”.[4] Mere is inherited from Old English mere (“sea, lake”).[5] Old English had the related merewīf “water-witch” and meremenn “mermaid, siren”.[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

An imaginary sea creature with the head and body of a woman and the tail of a fish (about 1350 in Barnhart; c. 1386 in the OED).[3][7]

Semantic evolution

In northern Europe the water spirits were tailless; the fish-tailed form was a medieval influence from the classical siren, and mermaids were sometimes said to lure sailors to their death with song.[4] The mermaid was a favourite sign for inns and taverns from the early 15th century (1428),[7][4] and in the 16th and 17th centuries the word could mean a prostitute.[7][1] Jocularly, a woman at home in the water, a skilled swimmer, is a mermaid (1590).[7][6]

Timeline

  • c. 1350 – the legendary sea creature.[3][4]
  • 1428 – a sign for an inn or tavern.[7]
  • 1590 – a woman who swims well.[7]
  • 1622 – the manatee or similar animals (obsolete).[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A legendary sea creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish.
  2. A woman who is a very skilled swimmer.

Word family

  • mermaid's purse
  • merman
  • mere
  • siren
  • marine
  • selkie

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mermaid.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mermaid. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·