Nymph

Origin

Late Middle English: from Old French nimphe, from Latin nympha, from Greek numphē ‘nymph, bride’; related to Latin nubere ‘be the wife of.’

• 14th Century

Definitions

• 1: a mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations.

b. chiefly literary a beautiful young woman.

• 2:a. an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows, e.g., a dragonfly, mayfly, or locust. Compare with larva.

b. an artificial fly made to resemble the aquatic nymph of an insect, used in fishing.

• 3 a mainly brown butterfly that frequents woods and forest glades.