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merfolk

merfolk

1 8.8
An imaginary creature with a human upper body and a fish tail that lives in the sea
  • noun
  • /ˈmɜrˌfoʊk/
  • Literature
translation icon : tritones
  • Ravin' about sirens, merfolk, bad omens and the like.

Examples

  • The merfolk race live there, and they remained hidden but aware of the surface dwellers.

    Blog text (34)
  • It's what I live for: to help unfortunate merfolk like yourself... poor souls with no one else to turn to.

  • Along the way, they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and

    Blog text (12)
  • In this way, the movement could be kept secret from the merfolk and titans, the two implacable enemies of the scrags and their allies.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The merfolk zonots were discovered, and a new Simic guild with a new identity, as preservers of Ravnica's natural places, emerged.

    Blog text (34)
  • In many stories, the merfolk enchant sailors with their beautiful songs.

  • Legends speak of a hidden kingdom where merfolk live beneath the ocean waves.

  • Children often dream of adventures with merfolk in magical underwater worlds.

Synonyms

merpeople
vsmerfolk
  • Literature
1 8.9

Imaginary people with a human upper body and a fish tail who live in the sea

means the same but uses a different plural or term variant
merrow
vsmerfolk
  • Literature
9.9

A woman or man with a fish tail who lives in the sea

is broader and describes sea dwellers without regional or ashore detail
fishman
vsmerfolk
  • Literature
9.9

A being with human features and fish parts from myths

is specific to bodies with human upper parts and a fish tail

Surface Forms

merfolk singular
merfolk plural

Morphology

merfolk = folk (semi-transparent) = mer + folk

Compound formed from the combining form 'mer-' (sea) plus the standalone word 'folk'; 'folk' is transparent but 'mer' is a non-standalone combining form and may be unfamiliar to learners.

Etymology

Merfolk comes from an old word mere meaning 'sea' and the common word folk meaning 'people'. So merfolk literally means 'sea people', which is why stories show them as human-like beings who live in the water.