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Glite Dictionary
sea nymph

sea nymph

1 9.9
A female spirit of the sea who helps sailors
  • noun
  • /siː nɪmf/
  • Literature
translation icon : ninfa marina
  • Lola, the sea nymph.

Examples

  • Sea nymph.

    Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

  • According to legend, the sea nymph lured sailors with her enchanting voice and magical allure.

  • 'Once again, the management takes pleasure' 'in presenting Lola' 'the sea nymph of The Tropical Isle!'

    Where the Boys Are (1960)

  • Sea nymphs, water sprouts, mermaids all around you,

    Summer Stock (1950)

  • A marble sea nymph was toting a dolphin that was spewing water enthusiastically into the fishpond below.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • In Greek mythology, a sea nymph often represents the beauty and mystery of the ocean's depths.

  • The artist sculpted a stunning sea nymph with flowing hair and a shimmering tail beside the coastline.

Synonyms

Nereid
vssea nymph
  • Literature
1 9.9

A sea spirit who looks like a beautiful young woman in Greek myths

is a broader name for female sea spirits including daughters of Nereus or Oceanus
Oceanid
vssea nymph
  • Literature
9.9

A sea nymph, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys

is the general term for female sea spirits not limited to Oceanus offspring

Surface Forms

sea nymph singular
sea nymphs plural

Morphology

sea + nymph

The meaning is directly compositional: 'sea' specifies the domain and 'nymph' is a mythical female spirit, so together they denote a female spirit of the sea. This noun+noun formation is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Sea nymph comes from old Greek stories about young female spirits who lived in the water and often helped or watched sailors. Because sea is the water and nymph is a young female spirit, the phrase now means 'a female spirit or minor goddess of the sea'.