a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors
in Greek mythology, naiads supposedly drowned the young men with whom they became enamored
a young wingless often wormlike form (as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects
students in science class learning how to distinguish a dragonfly naiad from an earthworm
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Recent Examples of naiadToday, the naiads frolic in water that is periodically drained for cleaning and maintenance.—
David Laskin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2024 Leighton set his youthful figure — a classical nymph or naiad — in a Mediterranean setting.—Washington Post,
12 Oct. 2022
After the eggs hatch, the young dragonflies, called nymphs, live underwater for at least six months and for up to five years for some species.
—
Olga R. Rodriguez,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Aug. 2026
The re-inspection resulted in the closure and red placard being upheld after inspectors found eight live German and Turkistan cockroaches throughout the facility, plus seven dead and dying nymph cockroaches.
Most individuals in each group begin life as a free-swimming trochophore larva.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
18 Aug. 2026
The flesh-eating New World Screwworm is the parasitic larva that emerges from eggs laid by flies in the open wounds or body openings of warm-blooded animals and humans, with untreated cases potentially leading to severe injury or death.
Called a mermaid’s purse because of its shape and size, the zebra shark egg’s translucence revealed an embryo.
—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2026
Saturday, utilizes 56,000 square feet of indoor space to host more than 200 vendors, sword-fighting, costume contests, live musicians, mermaids, fairies and photo ops.
—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Aug. 2026