NAIAD Definition & Meaning

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naiad

[ ney-ad, -uhd, nahy- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural naiads, naiades

(sometimes initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. any of a class of nymphs presiding over rivers and springs.
the juvenile form of the dragonfly, damselfly, or mayfly.
a female swimmer, especially an expert one.
Botany. a plant of the genus Najas, having narrow leaves and solitary flowers.
Entomology. an aquatic nymph.
a freshwater mussel.

naiad

/ ˈ�Բ�ɪæ�� /

noun

Greek myth a nymph dwelling in a lake, river, spring, or fountain
the aquatic larva of the dragonfly, mayfly, and related insects
Also calledwater nymph any monocotyledonous submerged aquatic plant of the genus Naias (or Najas ), having narrow leaves and small flowers: family Naiadaceae (or Najadaceae )
any of certain freshwater mussels of the genus Unio See mussel

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of naiad¹

< Latin ��ï��- (stem of ��ï�� ) < Greek ��ïá�� a water nymph

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of naiad¹

C17: via Latin from Greek ��徱�� water nymph; related to ��á�𾱲� to flow

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Example Sentences

To my relief, the directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, working with the screenwriter Julia Cox, trace Diana’s mythic roots not just to the naiads, but to zealots like Captain Ahab.

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The word “Nyad” is a derivation of “naiad,” the water nymph from Greek mythology.

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Leighton set his youthful figure — a classical nymph or naiad — in a Mediterranean setting.

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The herbs in the air reminded her of the hills around Camp Half-Blood in the summer, when the satyrs and naiads gathered wild plants in the lazy afternoons.

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Horrors lurked in the primeval forest, not nymphs and naiads.

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