Adjacent Words

Dryad definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DRYAD, n. [L., Gr., a tree.] In mythology, a deity or nymph of the woods; a nymph supposed to preside over woods.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a deity or nymph of the woods [syn: dryad, wood nymph]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Latin dryad-, dryas, from Greek, from drys tree — more at tree Date: 14th century wood nymph

Britannica Concise

In Greek mythology, tree nymphs. Dryads were originally the spirits of oak trees (drys: "oak"), but the name was later applied to all tree nymphs. They were nature spirits who took the form of beautiful young women, and it was believed that they lived only as long as the trees they inhabited.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. Mythol. a nymph inhabiting a tree; a wood nymph. Etymology: ME f. OF dryade f. L f. Gk druas -ados f. drus tree

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dryad Dry"ad, n. [L. dryas, pl. dryades, Gr. ?, pl. ?, fr. ? oak, tree. See Tree.] (Class. Myth.) A wood nymph; a nymph whose life was bound up with that of her tree.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Wood-nymph.