Nymph (?), n. [L. nympha nymph, bride, young woman, Gr. &?;: cf. F. nymphe. Cf. Nuptial.]
1. (Class. Myth.) A goddess of
the mountains, forests, meadows, or waters.
Where were ye, nymphs, when the remorseless deep
Closed o'er the head of your loved Lycidas ?
Milton. 2. Hence:
A lovely young girl; a
maiden; a damsel.
Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.
Shak. 3. (Zoöl.) The pupa of an insect; a chrysalis.
4.
(Zoöl.) Any one of a subfamily (Najades) of
butterflies including the purples, the fritillaries, the peacock butterfly, etc.;
-- called also naiad.
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