nymph

English

Nymph of a mantis.

Alternative forms

• nymphe (rare, archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English nimphe, from Old English nymphē and Old French nimphe, both from Latin nympha (“nymph, bride”), from Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride”). Doublet of nympha.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈnɪmf/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmf

Noun

nymph (plural nymphs or nymphæ)

Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse, 1896

1. (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) Any female nature spirit associated with water, forests, grotto, wind, etc.

   Hyponyms: dryad, naiad, Oceanid, oread

2. A young girl, especially one who is attractive, beautiful or graceful.

   Synonyms: lolita, nymphet, nymphette

3. (entomology) The larva of certain insects.

   Synonyms: instar, naiad

4. (entomology) Any of various butterflies of the family Nymphalidae.

Derived terms

• jungle nymph
• nymphet
• nymphette
• nymphicidal
• nymphicide
• nymph of darkness
• nymph of the pavé
• nymph of the pavement
• nymphoid
• tree nymph
• water nymph
• wood-nymph

 

Related terms

• lymph
• nymphaeum
• nympho
• nymphomania
• nymphomaniac
• sylph

 

Translations

insect larva

• Armenian: հարսնյակ (hy) (harsnyak)
• Catalan: nimfa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 若蟲 / 若虫 (zh) (ruòchóng)

• Czech: nymfa f
• Danish: nymfe c
• Finnish: nymfi (fi)
• French: nymphe (fr) f
• Galician: ninfa f
• Greek: νύμφη (el) f (nýmfi), χρυσαλλίδα (el) f (chrysallída)
• Hungarian: lárva (hu)
• Irish: nimfeach f
• Italian: ninfa (it) f
• Japanese: ニンフ (ja) (ninfu), 若虫 (わかむし, wakamushi)
• Macedonian: ла́рва f (lárva)
• Maori: pokopoko
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nymfe (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: nymfe f

• Polish: nimfa (pl) f
• Portuguese: ninfa (pt) f
• Romanian: nimfă (ro) f
• Russian: личи́нка (ru) (ličínka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ни̑мфа f

  Roman: nȋmfa (sh) f

• Spanish: ninfa (es) f
• Swedish: nymf (sv) c
• Welsh: nymff f

mythology: water, forest or mountain spirit

• Bulgarian: нимфа (bg) f (nimfa)
• Catalan: nimfa (ca) f
• Czech: nymfa f
• Danish: nymfe c
• Dutch: nimf (nl) f
• Erzya: ведюрьва (veďuŕva)
• Esperanto: nimfo (eo)
• Estonian: nümf
• Finnish: nymfi (fi)
• French: nymphe (fr) f
• Galician: ninfa f
• German: Nymphe (de) f
• Greek: νύμφη (el) f (nýmfi)

  Ancient: νύμφη f (númphē)

• Hungarian: nimfa (hu)
• Ido: nimfo (io)
• Irish: bé choille f
• Italian: ninfa (it) f
• Japanese: ニンフ (ja) (ninfu), 妖精 (ja) (ようせい, yōsei), ニュンペー (nyunpē)
• Latin: nympha f
• Macedonian: ни́мфа f (nímfa)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nymfe (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: nymfe f

• Old English: ielfen f
• Polish: nimfa (pl) f
• Portuguese: ninfa (pt) f
• Romanian: nimfă (ro) f
• Russian: ни́мфа (ru) f (nímfa)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ни̑мфа f, ру̀са̄лка f, ви́ла f

  Roman: nȋmfa (sh) f, rùsālka (sh) f, víla (sh) f

• Spanish: ninfa (es) f
• Swahili: nimfi
• Swedish: nymf (sv) c
• Thai: นางไม้ (naang máai)
• Volapük: neüf (vo)

young girl who may inspire lust

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 美女 (zh) (měinǚ)

• Finnish: lolita
• Galician: ninfa f
• German: Nymphomanin (de)
• Greek: (pejorative) νυμφίδιο (el) n (nymfídio)
• Italian: ninfa (it) f, sirenetta f
• Japanese: 美女 (ja) (びじょ, bijo), 乙女 (ja) (おとめ, otome)
• Macedonian: уба́вица f (ubávica), ни́мфа f (nímfa)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nymfe (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: nymfe f

• Portuguese: ninfa (pt) f
• Russian: краса́вица (ru) f (krasávica), красо́тка (ru) f (krasótka), ни́мфа (ru) f (nímfa)
• Scottish Gaelic: ainnir f
• Spanish: ninfa (es) f, nínfula (es) f
• Swahili: mwanamwali (sw)
• Swedish: nymf (sv) c

Verb

nymph (third-person singular simple present nymphs, present participle nymphing, simple past and past participle nymphed)

1. (fishing) To fish using a nymph larva as bait.
   • 2019, James W. White, Fly-fishing the Arctic Circle to Tasmania, page 253:

     Kuster meanwhile nymphed the middle of the Snag. When I joined him, I threw my streamer between the main channel's flow and the skinnier side-channel flow, […]

See also

• alseid, auloniad, crinaeae, limnade, meliae, napaeae, oceanids, oreads, pegaeae
• dryads, hamadryads, naiads, nereids
• Hesperides