water sprite
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər spraɪt/
- Literature
:
espíritu de agua
- The water sprite danced on the surface of the pond.
Examples
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The children's book features a mischievous water sprite who befriends a lonely boy.
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Legends say a water sprite haunts the pond at the end of the village.
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She dressed as a water sprite for the fantasy-themed costume party.
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In the story, a water sprite helps the lost travelers.
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In the fairy tale, the hero sought the enchanting water sprite who could grant wishes.
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The water sprite danced playfully on the surface of the lake as the children watched in awe.
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According to local legends, the water sprite protects the river from harm and brings good luck to fishermen.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A womanlike creature that lives in rivers or streams in old European stories
1
9.8
A magical being in stories that lives in rivers, lakes, or the sea
1
9.9
A female spirit that lives in rivers, lakes, or springs
A water spirit that looks like a woman and lives in lakes or rivers
A water spirit in German and Scandinavian stories that lives in rivers or lakes
How Powerful
- Literature
1
8.1
- Literature
1
9.9
- Literature
- Literature
1
9.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
water + sprite
The meaning 'a fairy or spirit inhabiting bodies of water' is directly and predictably composed from 'water' (bodies of water) + 'sprite' (a small supernatural being), so the combined sense is simply a sprite associated with water. This noun-noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern (e.g., Spanish ‘hada/niña de agua’, French ‘sprite d'eau’, Japanese ‘水の精’) and would be transparent to a B1 learner who already knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Water sprite comes from old stories about small spirits called sprites that live in nature. When these spirits are said to live in a lake or river, people called them 'water sprites', so today the phrase means a little 'spirit' or 'fairy' that lives in water.