mer

There are mermaids and mermen everywhere. They swim above us and linger in nooks and arched doorways. It's impossible not to stare. The mer are as diverse as humans—all ages, size, shape, and color.

2013, Missy Fleming, Into the Deep, page 65:


seaman

From Middle English seeman, seman, from Old English sǣmann. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Seemon (“seaman, sailor”), West Frisian seeman (“seaman, sailor”), Dutch zeeman (“seaman, sailor”), German Low German Seemann (“seaman, sailor”), German Seemann (“seaman, sailor”), Swedish sjöman (“seaman, sailor”), Norwegian sjømann (“seaman, sailor”). Equivalent to sea + -man.

cog

petty officer third class
petty officer third class

(US, Navy) An enlisted rate in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, ranking below petty officer third class and above seaman apprentice.


人魚

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (人魚):
* → Japanese: 人魚(にんぎょ) (ningyo)
* → Korean: 인어(人魚) (ineo)
* → Vietnamese: nhân ngư (人魚)

/jɐn²¹ jyː²¹/

/n̠ʲin²² ɦy⁴⁴/

/zən²² ɦy⁴⁴/

/jɐn²¹ jyː²¹/

/n̠ʲin²² ɦy⁴⁴/

/zən²² ɦy⁴⁴/


人魚

人魚姫

伝説では、彼女は人魚だったと言われる。

Densetsu de wa, kanojo wa ningyo datta to iwareru.

1999 March 27, “恍(こう)惚(こつ)の人魚(マーメイド) [Enchanting Mermaid]”, in Vol.2, Konami:

A beautiful mermaid who lures seafarers before drowning them.

海を航海する者を誘惑しておぼれさせる、美しい人魚。

Umi o kōkai suru mono o yūwaku shite oboresaseru, utsukushii ningyo.

人魚構文

人魚構文 にんぎょこうぶん


siren

From Middle English siren, from Old French sereine and Latin Sīrēn, Sīrēna, from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn). The mammalian sense was first attested in French in Dominique Bouhours, Les entretiens d'Ariste et d'Eugène, in 1671. The aquatic salamander sense was originally introduced by Linnaeus in 1766, for a genus of his reptiles. Doublet of serin.

Now give ear to what I'm about to say to you , and a god himself will bring it before your mind . First , you will come to the Sirens . These beings enthrall all men who arrive before them . Whoever draws near without knowledge and ...

2008 October 7, Homer, The Odyssey, North Atlantic Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 278:

(Greek mythology) One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks.

(music) A musical instrument, one of the few aerophones in the percussion section of the symphony orchestra (patented as Acme Siren in 1895).

An instrument for demonstrating the laws of beats and combination tones.


mermaid

From Middle English mermayde (“maid of the sea”), from mere (“sea, lake”) + maid, equivalent to mer- + maid. Cognate with Dutch meermeid (“mermaid”), Middle High German mermaget, mermeit (“mermaid”, > German Meermagd, Meermädchen (“mermaid”)). Compare Old English meremenn, meremennen, meremenin (“mermaid, siren”).

inh

Holonym: merfolk

Search the depth, & ſee that variety of Sea monſters & fiſhes, Mare-maids, Sea men, Horſes, &c. which it affords.

1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 2, member 3, page 210:

People that are drowned, and whose bodies are not founds are believed to have been taken into the dwellings of the Mermaids.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 242:

A mythological creature with a woman's head and upper body, and a tail of a fish.


sirena

From Spanish sirena, from Late Latin sirēna, from Latin Sīrēn, from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn).

a siren; a device that creates a loud sound as an alarm or signal; the sound it creates


sirena

[sɪˈɾɛː.n̪ɐ]

Borrowed from Spanish sirena, from Late Latin Sirēna, from Latin Sīrēn, from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn). The third sense is an extension of the original, further popularized by the rap song Sirena.

Ligaya Tiamson Rubin, may mga kuwento ang mga taga- Angono tungkol sa mga sirena na siyang nakikita sa isang malaking bato na umaawit at may mahabang gintong buhok. Kapag may dumarating na tao ay agad itong nawawala.

2005, Ligaya Tiamson- Rubin, (Es) kultura ng bayan: Kakambal ng ibang mga bayan:

Diego: 'Yun pong bahagi ng dagat ditong nilalabasan ng mga sirena. Galit daw po ang mga sirena sa mga tagarito. Ayon po kasi sa kuwentu-kuwento, noong unang panahon daw e pinakialaman ng mga mangingisda dito ang mga sirena ...

1993, Ricardo Lee, Salome: a Filipino filmscript, Univ of Wisconsin Center for:

Sa kaharian nila Amelita... Sa kaharian ng mga Sirena...Nakaramdam ako ng kasiyahan. Si Lagrimas... Sana ay masaya siya saan man siya naroon.... Katapusan Si Robinson Mago ay isang Electronics and Communication Engineer na ...

2014, Robin Mago, Amelita, Robinson Mago:

Natutuklasan nila sa mga libro ni Gaying na lahat ng mga taga-Angono ay nagiging bida, walang bandido, nagiging mga diwata, higante at mga sirena sa kanilang mahal na Angono. Nagkakaroon tuloy sila ng pakiramdam na sila man ay ...

2005, Ligaya Tiamson- Rubin, Angono, Rizal: Pagtatala ng gunita, panimulang dokumentasyon ng mga bayan sa Pilipinas, →ISBN:


merman

From Middle English mereman, from Old English *meremann (“merman”) (suggested by Old English meremenn, meremennen, meremenin (“mermaid, siren”)), equivalent to mer- + man. Cognate with Dutch meerman (“merman”), German Meermann (“merman”).

The meer man hath no feet but fins / And this hath legs you see and shins.

1653, The Loves of Hero and Leander: A Mock Poem, London, page 19:

A legendary creature, human male from the waist up, fishlike from the waist down.


merfolk

Mythical creatures that are human from the waist up and fish from the waist down.


sereia

pt-noun

sereia f (plural sereias, masculine sereio, masculine plural sereios)

sereias (plural)
sereio (masculine)
sereios (masculine plural)

From Old Galician-Portuguese serẽa, from Late Latin sirēna, from Latin Sīrēn (“siren”), from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn).

mermaid (mythological woman with a fish's tail)


merperson

en-noun

merperson (plural merpersons or merpeople)

A mythological creature with a human upper half (head, arms, and torso) and a piscine lower half.


syrena

syrenka (diminutive)
syrena (nominative singular)
syreny (nominative plural)
syreny (genitive singular)
syren (genitive plural)
syrenie (dative singular)
syrenom (dative plural)
syrenę (accusative singular)
syreny (accusative plural)
syreną (instrumental singular)
syrenami (instrumental plural)
syrenie (locative singular)
syrenach (locative plural)
syreno (singular vocative)
syreny (plural vocative)

Borrowed from French sirène, from Latin sirēna, from Sīrēn, from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn).


mermaidlike

en-adj

mermaidlike (comparative more mermaidlike, superlative most mermaidlike)

more mermaidlike (comparative)
most mermaidlike (superlative)

Resembling or characteristic of a mermaid.


mermaiden

From Middle English meremaiden (“mermaid”), from mere (“mere, sea”) + maiden (“maiden”), equivalent to mer- + maiden. Compare Old English meremennen (“mermaid, siren”). More at mere, maiden.

cog

The Neck here his harp in the glass-castle plays,
And Mermaidens comb out their green hair always,
And bleach here their shining white clothes.

1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 156:

A mermaid; a maiden of the sea; a siren.


merboy

When the music stopped, Arista was finally able to excuse herself, but seconds later she was caught up by yet another eager merboy. Over the course of the night, Arista danced with many merboys, […]

1993, Jan Carr, Arista's New Boyfriend, Disney Press, →ISBN, page 19:

"Tell me what was happening in the world when you were a little merboy. Was there television?"

1997, Dick King-Smith, The Merman, Dell Yearling, published 2001, →ISBN, page 69:

He grins like the little merboy who used to dare me to eat sea slugs.

2011, Tera Lynn Childs, Fins Are Forever, Katherine Tegen Books, →ISBN, page 257:


인어

Sino-Korean word from 人魚, from 人 (“human”) + 魚 (“fish”)


merchild

The fish-tailed merchild carved in crumbling stone
Wreathed with loose straggling roses, reigns alone...

1904, Thomas Bird Mosher, The Bibelot, page 160:

There were mermaids with gold chains around slinky long tails, swimming along with little merchildren.

2003, Liz Kessler, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 57:

He shuddered as he thought about all the stories he had heard as a young merchild.

2003, Debbie Viguié, Midnight Pearls, Simon Pulse, →ISBN, page 80:

The young of either sex of a legendary creature, human from the waist up, fishlike from the waist down.


merwife

From Old English merewīf (“water witch, mermaid”), from Proto-West Germanic *mariwīb, from Proto-Germanic *mariwībą (“mermaid, siren”). By surface analysis, mer- + wife. Cognate with Old High German meriwīb.


merbaby

"She should have stayed in the ocean where she belonged. She could have married some nice young merman and had some cute little merbabies and lived a long, happy life—"

1997, Elizabeth Lane, The Tycoon and the Townie, Harlequin, →ISBN:

There were mermaids with gold chains around slinky long tails, swimming along with little merchildren. One had a merbaby on her back, the tiniest little pink tail sticking out from under its sling.

But Anna held the merbaby tight and carried her towards the sea.

2009, Penny Kendal, Merbaby, Evans Brothers Limited, →ISBN, page 35:


merhusband

A human female starts to long for all her friends and relations ashore, and eventually forsakes her merhusband. A mermaid begins to yearn for the wild freedom of life among the waves, and finds it is very difficult to adjust to the dry [...]

1987, Michael F. Page, Robert R. Ingpen, Encyclopedia of things that never were: creatures, places, and people:

A merman, especially one who is married; a merman taken as a husband.


merqueen

Have you ever met any from the sea clan Merqueen and Saxon merman […]

2006, Lunar-k, Angels, Fairies, Mermaids & Warriors:

Then Brigit followed singing: The merqueen picks the dolphin, The merqueen picks the dolphin, High, ho, the dario, The merqueen picks the dolphin.

2009, Clark Smith, Patricia Clark Smith, Baiting Hollow: A Time of Enchantment:

A mermaid, especially one who is a queen.


merkingdom

Thus, Eric fulfills his role as heroic rescuer by saving the woman he loves and the merkingdom from danger, and thus a relationship is constructed between a strong, invulnerable heroic protector and weak, vulnerable victims (Ariel and the kingdom).

2011, Justin Charlebois, Gender and the Construction of Hegemonic and Oppositional Femininities, Lexington Books, →ISBN, page 98:

Merpeople came from all over the merkingdom to visit and study.

2012, Debbie Dadey, Whale of a Tale, Aladdin, →ISBN, page 24:

Marrying Sabyn to get control of a merkingdom that had obviously decided it didn't want me as a ruler was not an acceptable thing to do.

2013, Tracy Deebs, Tempest Revealed, Walker Books for Young Readers, →ISBN:


merworld

"I consider myself a reasonable merman," Triton thundered, "but contact between the merworld and the human world is strictly forbidden. Why did you disobey me and rescue that human?"

1996, Disney's Treasury of Children's Classics: From the Fox and the Hound to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney Press, →ISBN, page 85:

Oliver hadn't written any stories about the merworld, but knowing him there were probably at least a couple pages of notes about the place somewhere in his notebook.

2010, Frédérick S. Parker, Finding the Kingdom of the Centaurs, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 171:

Reflecting a slightly modified version of the hero narrative, Eric rescues Ariel from Ursula and concomitantly saves the merworld from a diabolical female in lieu of a male villain.

(fantasy) The undersea world of merfolk.


merking

The merking's castle stood in the very deepest spot. The palace walls were made of coral. The roof was oyster shells. And the windows stood open to let the fish swim in and out.

2002, Sarah Hines Stephen, Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid: And Other Stories:

A mermaid king; the king of the merfolk.


merknight

[…] while merknights in full armour give their own demonstration of fishy combat tactics.

1967, Bridget Ann Henisch, Medieval Armchair Travels, Carnation Press (1967), page 38

However, it is the scilla's cousin the "merknight" (Fig. 107) who most closely resembles the curious armored fish men that Bosch portrays.

1981, Laurinda S. Dixon, Alchemical Imagery in Bosch's Garden of Delights, UMI Research Press, →ISBN, page 44:

It is etched and gilded overall, the themes of the decoration including, on the leg defences, the labours of Hercules, and on the upper half a merknight and mermaid, supplemented with elephants and castles, and various putti and animals.

2009, Graeme Rimer, Thom Richardson, J.P.D. Cooper, editors, Henry VIII: Arms and the Man, 1509-2009, Royal Armouries, →ISBN, page 151:


merguard

He and his merguard surrounded her before she could say a word. "What kind of Conch Queen of Doom are you?" he griped, angrily jabbing at Sabrina with his trident.

1999, Bobbi J. G. Weiss, David Cody Weiss, Age of Aquariums, Archway Paperback, →ISBN, page 133:

Two muscular merguards twisted my arms behind my back and tangled my legs in seaweed.

2009, Delia Sherman, The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen, Viking, →ISBN:

Mer-guards flanked the front opening to the palace.

2011, L-J Baker, Promises, Promises, Lethe Press, →ISBN, page 148:


mermother

"I shall never see my merfather or my mermother any more, or the mermaids, or the fish-king, or the merry dolphins, or-r-r-r " —
"Never mind!" cried Elfie, crying too, and she put her arms around the sad little mermaid's neck.

1882, E. L. P, Elfie Under the Sea and Other Stories, Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., page 21:

Suddenly a lovely sound filled the air. Ariel turned toward it. Nefazia was sitting on the rock, singing. Her song was low and sweet, like a mermother crooning to her baby.

1993, Suzanne Weyn, Nefazia Visits the Palace, The Trumpet Club, →ISBN, page 43:

A mermother pushed an infant merbaby along the street in an old stroller. Soon Sabrina and the merman reached an enormous palace, nearly five stories high.

2007, Michael Buckley, Peter Ferguson, The Problem Child:


merfather

"Danya, you think if you believe in your merfather and Ayralon, it's like rejecting your parents. Especially your stepfather. Is that true?"

2004, Vicki Blum, The Mermaid Secret, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 63:

Two eighth-graders (Emma Roberts and JoJo) befriend a mermaid (Sara Paxton) who has three days to prove to her merfather that love exists.

2006 March 3, Roger Ebert, “'Aquamarine'”, in Orange County Register:


merland

"I know what you would say and I know what I should answer, dear Ulfin, if you were only a commoner of Merland. ... and I am a Mermaid, […]"

[…] or she could bolt and hurry back to the shore, hoping that two wolphins might return to haul her tired body back to Merland off Oregon.

2010, Judith Gilman, Mermaids of the Siuslaw:

A mythical land of mermaids and merfolk.


美人魚

/meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ y³⁵/

/mei̯¹³ jɐn²¹ jyː²¹/

/me³³ zən⁵⁵ ɦy²¹/

/meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ y³⁵/

/mei̯¹³ jɐn²¹ jyː²¹/

/me³³ zən⁵⁵ ɦy²¹/


merrow

Hiberno-English, from Irish murúch (“mermaid”).

(Celtic mythology, mythology) A merman or mermaid in Scottish and Irish Gaelic folklore.


merteen

In the “how to make a porn video” within the video, Sprinkle plays an older mermaid who sexually initiates a “merteen” played by Sirena.

2000 February 8, Virginia Vitzthum, “Annie Sprinkle swims forward”, in Salon:

Realization filled the merteen's eyes with sadness.

2005, Rachel Roberts, The Heart of Avalon, CDS Books, →ISBN, page 120:

I paddle board, boogie board, and I use a monofin when I swim. You put your two feet in a fin and workout in the water. It’s a great way for merfolk—mermen, merteens, whoever—to connect with the water.

2012 July 27, Maria Denardo, “Rockefeller's Center”, in The Daily Dan:


merlad

The merlad and merlass watched the sphere for a moment and with a flick of their shiny tails, vanished again.

2003, Susan K. Hamilton, Darkstar Rising, Xlibris, published 2003, →ISBN, page 433:

I have to admit, he's a handsome merlad with his beautiful brown eyes, shiny black hair, and dark brown skin, but I can't have a boyfriend.

2006, S. L. Bynum, Kalena, the Sea Princess, Lulu, published 2006, →ISBN, page 10:

“At first everyone was standoffish and now they're too friendly,” Thorgil complained, swiping at a merlad who was attempting to grab her hair.

2009, Nancy Farmer, The Islands of the Blessed, Simon & Schuster, published 2009, →ISBN:

(fantasy) A young male merperson, male equivalent of mermaid


merguy

"I don't know. But he's still breathing, or whatever it is merguys do. We've got to try and revive him somehow," said Sabrina thoughtfully.

1999, Ellen Titlebaum, Sabrina Down Under, Archway, →ISBN, page 32:

Step right up and see the merboy, merguy, merman. Where does his ding-dong go?

2012, Zoraida Cordova, The Vicious Deep, Sourcebooks Fire, →ISBN:

“Here, entertain yourself. I'm only expecting merguys to be at the meeting today, and there are no pictures of them.” Either the male mers didn't get out much or, more likely, men had written all the history books.

2012, Suzanne Johnson, River Road, Tor, →ISBN:


merprincess

Ariel is a merprincess who finds life in the sea under the protective eye of her father to be a type of imprisonment.

1997, Carleton Papers in Applied Language Studies, volumes 14-19, page 109:

We have the merprince and merprincess and tonight we will finish defeating the soldiers at the mercastle.

2003, Gretel Killeen, My Sister's a Sea Slug, Random House Children's Publishing UK, published 2012, →ISBN:

“As long as that merprincess is out there, the more that city will crumble and die. […]

2013, Cheri Jones, The Adventures of a Mermaid Princess, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 26:


merprince

She sighed audibly when the merprince rescued the young mermaid and whisked her away to his kingdom as his bride, thus ending the story.

2005, Tracey V. Bateman, Kansas Home: Hearts Adrift Find a Place to Dwell in Four Romantic Stories, Barbour Publishing Incorporated, →ISBN, page 49:

Down the beach, a group of mergirls and boys were facing off with the same merprince who'd spoken through the mirror.

2005, Rachel Roberts, The Heart of Avalon, CDS Books, →ISBN, page 18:


merdaughter

The Sea King's merdaughters have only one tail.

1993, Todd Strasser, Mark Rifkin, & Gil DiCicco, Disney's the Villian's Collection: Stories from the Films, Disney Press, →ISBN, page 61:

He does this again in Action Comics #224 (Sep. 1958) in which he meets a merman, Vul-Kor and his merdaughter, Lya-La, […]

2012, Lori Maguire, “Supervillains and Cold War Tensions in the 1950s”, in Joseph J. Darowski, editor, The Ages of Superman: Essays on the Man of Steel in Changing Times, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 21:

Below, a concert is underway by Triton (Martin Lopez), the sea king’s Merdaughters (Dakota Booher, Lexi Jusino, Ashley Moller, Lara Monti, Clare Pepe, Sarah Vidal), written by court composer, Sebastian (Kenny Copeland).

2013 April 23, Nancy Horak, “The Little Mermaid Broadway-Style”, in The Magazine of Santa Clarita:


merfriend

“I told you that you are the best merfriend ever. Let's go sit with her and make her feel at home.”

2012, Debbie Dadey, Trouble at Trident Academy, Aladdin, →ISBN, page 76:

Helen asked Eleni, “Would you like to join me and my merfriends on an adventure?”

2014, Despina Karfis, The Magical Pool, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 7:

“I love singing, and I'm pretty good says my, umm, merfriend, if that's even a word.”

2015, Jillian Verbicky, The Tail of an Angel, Xlibris, →ISBN:


merkid

Here's hoping they get married and spend their days swimming in the sun, merkids in tow.

2009, "Q&A with Aimee Friedman", in Aimee Friedman, Ocean of Secrets, Scholastic Children's Books (2012), unnumbered page

Humpback whales were huge. All they had to do to swallow a mermaid was open their gigantic mouths wide. She was the smallest merkid in their class.

2012, Debbie Dadey, Whale of a Tale, Aladdin, →ISBN, pages 16–17:

Every merkid in the entire gymnasium seemed to be holding their breaths.

2015, Janet Gurtler, Cora's Decision, Stone Arch Books, →ISBN, page 30:


mersister

In the 2008 Broadway version of The Little Mermaid, the song, by Alan Menken (music) and Howard Ashman (lyric), was also performed by the mermaids (or mersisters).

2009, Thomas S. Hischak, Mark A. Robinson, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, The Scarecrow Press, →ISBN, page 40:

Remember, these are the people who kidnapped us and were going to cut out mine^([sic]) and my mersisters' vocal cords!

2012, Robert E. Thornsberry, The Accidental Mermaid, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 206:

Now that the mersisters were gone, that seemed more important than ever.

2013, Catherine Hapka, Mermaids in the Backyard, Random House, →ISBN, page 75:

(fantasy) The female sibling of a merperson.


merfamily

"The land fairies say the pollution in the cove has been making all the sea creatures sick. I imagine that includes the merfamily. […]

2008, Donna Varnes, The Cove, Xulon Press, →ISBN, page 271:

Internally, the floor had been built up with flat rocks, therefore, even at high tide, it never contained more than two feet of water, and in the evening the entrance was always damned up by large boulders so that any incoming water did not disturb the sleeping merfamily.

2012, Annie McLeod, Man or Beast, Glass Jar Publishing (2012), page 54

To visit the undersea realm of Artur, the High Prince, and the rest of the royal merfamily, she has to fin it to the Cayman Islands.

2012, MaryJanice Davidson, Swimming Without a Net, Jove (2007), back cover blurb


merwitch

[…] You see, we have been hunting the merwitch's slimy giant eel for many years now and always fall short of destroying it. […]

2013, Jessica Eppley, The Book of Siavon: Vol. 2: The Tail of Murias, Booktango:

"Sharks are unique, temperamental, always have been. Now they're under the control of Calandra, a particularly nasty merwitch whose goal is to rule the oceans."

2013, Missy Fleming, Into the Deep, Fire and Ice, →ISBN, page 59:

The merwitch slowly opened her eyes.

2014, Mary Man-Kong, Magical Mermaid Adventure, Random House Children's Books, →ISBN:


sereio

From sereia (“mermaid”) + -o (masculine suffix).

af

merman (legendary creature, human male from the waist up, fishlike from the waist down)


homem-sereia

[ˌõ.mẽɪ̯̃.seˈɾeɪ̯.ɐ]

[ˌõ.mẽɪ̯̃.seˈɾeɪ̯.ɐ]

/ˌɔ.mɐ̃j̃.sɨˈɾɐj.ɐ/

/ˌɔ.mɐ̃j̃.sɨˈɾɐj.ɐ/

/ˌɔ.mɐ̃j̃.sɨˈɾe.ɐ/

From homem (“man”) + sereia (“mermaid”), literally “mermaid-man”.


reverse mermaid

en-noun

reverse mermaid (plural reverse mermaids)

(cryptozoology) A mythical creature, woman from the waist down, fish from the waist up.


マーフォーク

ja-noun

マーフォーク • (māfōku)

[ma̠ːɸo̞ːkɯ̟]


siyokoy

A metathesis of Hokkien 水鬼 (chúi-kúi, “sea monster; water goblin”). For the second sense, coined by Virgilio S. Almario, possibly an analogy of something neither sea creature nor man.

der

Gayumpaman, ibá sa mga salitâng siyokoy ang "neolohísmo" o sinasadyang eskperimento sa pagbuo ng salita

2019 April 18, Leo Fordán, “Sa Láwas ng mga Salita”, in Samot-Sari, archived from the original on 2024-03-03:

However, words that are a "neologism" or a coined word are different from a siyokoy.

(linguistics) siyokoy, a pseudo-loan or hybrid word seemingly derived from both English and Spanish; a pseudo-Hispanism


マーメイド

2000 April 20, “弓(ゆみ)を引(ひ)くマーメイド [Bow-Drawing Mermaid]”, in Booster 2, Konami:

A mermaid who normally hides inside her seashell, but who will shoot anyone who dares come near her.

普段は貝殻の中に身を隠し、近づく者に矢を放つマーメイド。

Fudan wa kaigara no naka ni mi o kakushi, chikazuku mono ni ya o hanatsu māmeido.

1999 August 26, “海(うな)原(ばら)の女(おんな)戦(せん)士(し) [Lady Warrior of the Depths]”, in Booster 4, Konami:

A mermaid who serves the Sea God. Her duty is to guard his holy realm.

海の神に仕えるマーメイド。神聖な領域を守っている。

Umi no Kami ni tsukaeru māmeido. Shinsei na ryōiki o mamotteiru.


マーメード

ja-noun

マーメード • (māmēdo)

マーメイド マーメイド#Japanese

Alternative spelling of マーメイド (māmeido, “mermaid”)


cecaelia

Apparently coined around 2007 on a discussion thread on Seatails, a mermaid-enthusiast messageboard created by Kurt Cagle, who created a Wikipedia article on the cecaelia (originally “Cecælia”), inspired by Cilia (a cilophyte in “Cilia”, a seven-page short comic story published in issue #16 of the Vampirella comic magazine, released in March of 1972), cilophyte, Coleoidea, and the song “Cecilia” by Simon and Garfunkel, about a fickle and demanding lover (according to Cagle).

During planning for the film, Ursula was not originally designed as a cecaelia (a composite mythical being, combining the head, arms and torso of a woman, and from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid as a form of mermaid or sea demon). It was thought that she would be another sea creature, such as a rockfish-like mermaid.

2010, Joshua C. Shaffer, Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 40:

A mundane company had hired him to summon up a cecaelia demon. For the amount of money they were paying, and considering that cecaelia demons were lesser demons who could scarcely cause all that much fuss, Magnus had agreed to not ask questions.

2013, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway) (The Bane Chronicles), Margaret K. McElderry Books, →ISBN:

A spear of flame lanced out to strike the cecaelia. It shrieked and writhed as the heat seared its flesh, dropping its spear to bat at the smoldering wounds. Torius took the opportunity to drive his cutlass up into its chest. Still the thing clutched him, tentacles wrapping his arm and snaking around his neck. Celeste darted forward, but before she could reach him, an arrow transfixed the cecaelia’s head, and it fell.[…]She had seen that the pirates outnumbered the cecaelias, but the longer reach of the invaders’ spears and their entangling tentacles were wreaking havoc.

2013 April, Chris A. Jackson, “A Surprise Engagement”, in Pirate’s Honor (Pathfinder Tales), Paizo, →ISBN, pages 113–114:

An officious Cecaelia rapped the floor of the platform sternly and called the court to order. After a few more raps and some stern looks, there was silence. She bowed deeply to Atlantica who bid her to continue with a wave.

2014, Jolie Jaquinta, “Throne of the Sea”, in Red Queen, →ISBN:

URSULA |Film| “The Little Mermaid” (1989) |Voiced by| Pat Carroll |Special attributes| She’s a cecaelia (a human-octopus mashup) with magical powers.

2014 May 30, Sarah Bryan Miller, “They’s the Best at Being the Worst”, in Go! Magazine (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), page 17:

Mademoiselle halted momentarily to marvel at a cecaelia rising furiously from the waves being whipped into foam by her tentacles and brandishing a trident high above.

2014 June, Christian Vago, The Rotted Garden (The Mademoiselle de Commercy Series; volume one), FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 441:

Ursula’s form is a cecaelia, a half human and half octopus.

2015, Harpa Omarsdottir, “Ursula”, in Disney Villains Hairstyles & Looks, Edda Publishing USA LLC, →ISBN, page 6:

While the Disney’s corporate Wiki site page on Ursula identifies her as a “villainous cecaelian sea witch” and characterises the cecaelia as “a legendary hybrid of human and octopus”, the figure of a monstrous tentacled female has little precedent in Western mythology or folklore. Rather than deriving from these sources, the cecaelia is a more modern figure that developed as a distinct entity within a dispersed node of fantasy aficionados and artists.

2017, Philip Hayward, “Becoming Ariel, Becoming Ursula”, in Making a Splash: Mermaids (and Mermen) in 20th and 21st Century Audiovisual Media, John Libbey Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 37:

“Do you know what happens when you swallow a cecaelia’s tentacles” smirked Agalia when suddenly Zwart let out a squeak and grabbed his stomach and to everyone’s surprise cried out helplessly.[…]“They are the Seven High Sentinels of the Kingdom of Durkinbird, appointed by the King himself from each clanring to serve the palace and the kingdom, don’t be deceived by their cheerful behaviour, they are dignified warriors that guard the King and his palace and each one of them is strong enough to take down an entire army of cecaelias in mere seconds, the fact that the King has summoned all of them to carry out a task, the task must be mighty dangerous.”

2017, Daryl Rodrigues, Quzil Scarlett & the Kingdom of Durkinbird, Notion Press, →ISBN:

Ursula is a Cecaelia; half-human, half-octopus.

2020, James Egan, 3000 Facts about Animated Films, Lulu, →ISBN, page 191:

The lead cecaelia ship left its fleet formation to dock with the main mermaid ship. Aboard Titan’s Caravan’s ship, all watched as the cecaelia leaders walked with their long tentacles, their bodies riding along.[…]The same water fae were present from the meeting on Queen Issaleth’s red ship, and the room was filled with water to everyone’s chest—except the cecaelia. With their tentacles, their upper torsos hung well above the water.[…]Cecaelia are said to have bodies free of bones (though not true) because of their seemingly impossibly fast movements, flexibility, reflexes, and speed.

2021, Austin Dragon, Siren Storms of Madness (Fabled Quest Chronicles; book five), Well-Tailored Books, →ISBN:

In Asian and North American folklore, Cecaelia is described as an “octopus-woman.”

2022, Phoebe Im, Cute Chibi Mythical Beasts & Magical Monsters: Learn How to Draw Over 60 Enchanting Creatures, Rock Point, →ISBN, page 16:

“I saw a man with a shark tail before,” Elva put in. “They are called triakis, and the octopus people? Those are cecaelia.”[…]They turned to find an elderly cecaelia entering the pavilion, flanked by four guards.[…]Morgan bellowed to the mass of mermaids, naiads, triakis and cecaelia.

2022, C.A.Watts, Mattara (The Ventura Series), Ballads & Bards Bookhouse, →ISBN:

Risa can manipulate the power of the High Seas, and transform into a cecaelia, famous throughout Nassau as Sumitomo’s sorceress, predicts the outcomes of battles and potential threats, she tells the fortunes of pirates whether they die at land or sea, also Sumitomo’s lover, Risa’s devoted to Sumitomo, would do anything he asks of her, she betrayed clan Fujiwara for him, she’s blinded by love and lust, Sumitomo completely has her under his control.

2022, Marcel, Revenge Tale: Kill Mara, Dorrance Publishing Co, →ISBN, page 149:

A composite mythical being, combining the head, arms and torso of a woman (more rarely a man) and, from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid as a form of mermaid, sea witch, or sea demon.


merbrother

there’d be a time to say my brother is survived by our merbrother

2009, Macgregor Card, “The Merman’s Gift”, in Duties of an English Foreign Secretary, Fence Books, →ISBN, page 63:

The merbrothers were suddenly impatient to leave.

2012, Robin Pritchard, A History of Mermaids, →ISBN, page 198:

Then she saw that Petronella’s merbrothers Jolly, Julian, Joseph, John, Jerry, Jimmy, and Jupiter were pushing the boat towards the river bank to the place where it sloped gently.

2012, Diana Cooper, Tara and Her Talking Kitten Meet a Mermaid, Findhorn Press, →ISBN, pages 47–48:

Adam would rather see him spend more time among his merbrothers and women.

2015, Fabion Harris, chapter 4, in Pure: A Mermaid Story, Lulu, →ISBN, page 13:

Little merbrothers can be so ANNOYING!

2017, Peter Raymundo, Third Grade Mermaid, Scholastic Press, →ISBN:


merparent

After a while the distressed merparents came in search of their lost child.

1984, Penelope Hughes, “Home Life of a Triton”, in Richard Hughes: Author, Father, Alan Sutton, →ISBN, part one (1939–1945), page 7:

He wiped milk from his eyebrows and wondered if merparents spanked their children.

2007, Suzanne Selfors, “The Goldfish Sacrifice”, in To Catch a Mermaid, New York, N.Y., Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, published 2009, →ISBN, page 48:

A steady stream of merparents and merstudents floated in.

2015, Debbie Dadey, “A Promise”, in A Tale of Two Sisters (Mermaid Tales), Aladdin, →ISBN, pages 70–71:

“Pops, he’s a fine young man and smart, too. Besides, he has merparents.” “A human with merparents? That’s impossible! I suppose you’ll tell me next he’s planning to grow a tail.”

2015, Howard T. Parsons, chapter 26, in Urban Mermaid (Tails from Colony Island; book one), Renton, Wash.: Moonlight Garden, →ISBN, page 303:


tryton

tryton (nominative singular)
trytony (nominative plural)
trytona (genitive singular)
trytonów (genitive plural)
trytonowi (dative singular)
trytonom (dative plural)
trytona (accusative singular)
trytony (accusative plural)
trytonem (instrumental singular)
trytonami (instrumental plural)
trytonie (locative singular)
trytonach (locative plural)
trytonie (singular vocative)
trytony (plural vocative)

(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) merman


கடற்கன்னி

ta-noun

கடற்கன்னிகள்

கடற்கன்னி • (kaṭaṟkaṉṉi) (plural கடற்கன்னிகள்)

kaṭaṟkaṉṉi (romanization)
கடற்கன்னிகள் (plural)
கடற்கன்னி (nominative singular)
கடற்கன்னிகள் (nominative plural)
கடற்கன்னியே (singular vocative)
கடற்கன்னிகளே (plural vocative)
கடற்கன்னியை (accusative singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளை (accusative plural)
கடற்கன்னிக்கு (dative singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளுக்கு (dative plural)
கடற்கன்னிக்காக (benefactive singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளுக்காக (benefactive plural)
கடற்கன்னியுடைய (genitive genitive-i singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளுடைய (genitive genitive-i plural)
கடற்கன்னியின் (genitive genitive-ii singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளின் (genitive genitive-ii plural)
கடற்கன்னியில் (locative locative-i singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளில் (locative locative-i plural)
கடற்கன்னியிடம் (locative locative-ii singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளிடம் (locative locative-ii plural)
கடற்கன்னியோடு (singular sociative sociative-i)
கடற்கன்னிகளோடு (plural sociative sociative-i)
கடற்கன்னியுடன் (singular sociative sociative-ii)
கடற்கன்னிகளுடன் (plural sociative sociative-ii)
கடற்கன்னியால் (instrumental singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளால் (instrumental plural)
கடற்கன்னியிலிருந்து (ablative singular)
கடற்கன்னிகளிலிருந்து (ablative plural)

Compound of கடல் (kaṭal, “sea, ocean”) + கன்னி (kaṉṉi, “virgin, maiden”, from Sanskrit कन्या (kanyā)).

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from Sanskrit <i class="Deva mention" lang="sa">कन्या</i> (kanyā)


நீர்மங்கை

ta-noun

நீர்மங்கைகள்

நீர்மங்கை • (nīrmaṅkai) (plural நீர்மங்கைகள்)

nīrmaṅkai (romanization)
நீர்மங்கைகள் (plural)
நீர்மங்கை (nominative singular)
நீர்மங்கைகள் (nominative plural)
நீர்மங்கையே (singular vocative)
நீர்மங்கைகளே (plural vocative)
நீர்மங்கையை (accusative singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளை (accusative plural)
நீர்மங்கைக்கு (dative singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளுக்கு (dative plural)
நீர்மங்கைக்காக (benefactive singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளுக்காக (benefactive plural)
நீர்மங்கையுடைய (genitive genitive-i singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளுடைய (genitive genitive-i plural)
நீர்மங்கையின் (genitive genitive-ii singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளின் (genitive genitive-ii plural)
நீர்மங்கையில் (locative locative-i singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளில் (locative locative-i plural)
நீர்மங்கையிடம் (locative locative-ii singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளிடம் (locative locative-ii plural)
நீர்மங்கையோடு (singular sociative sociative-i)
நீர்மங்கைகளோடு (plural sociative sociative-i)
நீர்மங்கையுடன் (singular sociative sociative-ii)
நீர்மங்கைகளுடன் (plural sociative sociative-ii)
நீர்மங்கையால் (instrumental singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளால் (instrumental plural)
நீர்மங்கையிலிருந்து (ablative singular)
நீர்மங்கைகளிலிருந்து (ablative plural)

Compound of நீர் (nīr, “water”) + மங்கை (maṅkai, “virgin, maiden”).

com+

நீர்மங்கை கொங்கைக்கு நித்திலக்கச் சொக்குமால்...
nīrmaṅkai koṅkaikku nittilakkac cokkumāl...(—சிதம்பர செய்யுட்கோவை)


మత్స్యకన్య

te-noun

మత్స్యకన్య • (matsyakanya) ? (plural మత్స్యకన్యలు)

matsyakanya (romanization)
మత్స్యకన్యలు (plural)

Borrowed from Sanskrit मत्स्यकन्या (matsyakanyā), compare cognate Malayalam മത്സ്യകന്യക (matsyakanyaka).


白吳魚

/pɛ³³ ŋɛu²² hu²²/

/pɛ³³ ŋɛu²² hu²²/

(Leizhou Min) mermaid; merperson; merfolk (with a white body and a horse-like head)