nymph
noun /nɪmf/
/nɪmf/
- (in ancient Greek and Roman stories) a spirit of nature in the form of a young woman, that lives in rivers, woods, etc.
- (biology) a young insect that has a body form that does not change very much as it grows
- a dragonfly nymph
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French nimphe, from Latin nympha, from Greek numphē ‘nymph, bride’; related to Latin nubere ‘be the wife of’.