naiad Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers; of fresh or brackish water
    water nymph.
  2. noun (Greek mythology) a nymph of lakes and springs and rivers and fountains

WordNet


Na"iad noun
Etymology
L. naias, -adis, naïs, -idis, a water nymph, Gr , , fr. to flow: cf. F. naïade. Cf. Naid.
Definitions
  1. (Myth.) A water nymph; one of the lower female divinities, fabled to preside over some body of fresh water, as a lake, river, brook, or fountain.
  2. (Zoöl.) Any species of a tribe (Naiades) of freshwater bivalves, including Unio, Anodonta, and numerous allied genera; a river mussel.
  3. (Zoöl) One of a group of butterflies. See Nymph.
  4. (Bot.) Any plant of the order Naiadaceæ, such as eelgrass, pondweed, etc.

Webster 1913