naiad
/ˈnʌɪad
/noun (plural naiads or naiades /ˈnʌɪəˌdiːz/)
1(In classical mythology) a water nymph said to inhabit a river, spring, or waterfall.One day he inadvertently bathed in the spring of the naiad he had spurned....
- Therefore the world of nature is no longer seen as populated by capricious supernatural beings, by fates and furies, dryads and naiads, gods of war or goddesses of sex and fertility.
- The mermaids and naiads will recede to deep ocean or hidden lakes.
2The aquatic larva or nymph of a dragonfly, mayfly, or stonefly.Superfluous killing has been reported for a diverse group of animals, including zooplankton, stoats and weasels, damselfly naiads, wolves, predaceous mites, and spiders....
- The treatment pools contained either Aeshna naiads or E. perezi tadpoles; see Figure 1.
- The sun was just setting and the lake was abuzz in dragonflies, going nuts for all the little naiads.
3A submerged aquatic plant with narrow leaves and minute flowers.
- Genus Najas, family Najadaceae.
Origin
Via Latin from Greek Naias, Naiad-, from naein 'to flow'. Use as a term in entomology and botany dates from the early 20th century.