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Glite Dictionary
Ondine

Ondine

1 9.9
A title for plays, films, ballets, or musical pieces often based on a story about a water spirit
  • proper noun
  • Literature
: Ondina
  • You told us about seven tears and the selkie island, and how Ondine came out of the water.

Examples

  • The enchanting ballet Ondine beautifully portrays the story of a water nymph and her love for a mortal man.

  • There's also the German folktale of Ondine, in which a woman curses her unfaithful husband to cease breathing.

    Blog text (13)

  • Naomi Wu playing Ondine by Ravel.

  • In the dramatic play Ondine, the main character struggles with the challenges of being a mythical creature in a human world.

  • The film Ondine features a fisherman who discovers a mysterious woman in the sea, believed to be the legendary water nymph.

Surface Forms

Ondine main

Etymology

Ondine comes from the Latin word unda, which means 'wave', and the French ondine was a name for a 'water spirit' or nymph. That's why plays, films, and music called Ondine often use water, love, and mystery from that old legend.