Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A legendary sea creature having the head and upper body of a man and the tail of a fish.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A fabulous man of the sea, with the lower part of the body that of a fish.
  • noun In heraldry, same as triton.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The male corresponding to mermaid; a sea man, or man fish.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun United States singer who appeared in several musical comedies (1909-1984)
  • noun half man and half fish; lives in the sea

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[mer(maid) + man.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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").

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Examples

  • We are told in one place a few lines further on that the merman is of humankind; and in another that he is a kind of fish (Night dccccxlv).

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • I'm from Earth but I'm what your people would call a merman.

    A Fish Story Harris Tobias 2011

  • The merman was the first to see the importance of uniting the continent of

    Odyssey Moore, Vance 2001

  • The merman was the first to see the importance of uniting the continent of Otaria, saving its fragmented history.

    Odyssey Moore, Vance 2001

  • I do not believe that there is such a being as a "merman" C'mon, face it!

    How Bizarre Jen 2009

  • In the watery foreground a buxom nude with an elaborate headdress is carried away on frilly waves by an aged, bearded merman with a tortoise-shell shield.

    Masterful Engravers Judy Fayard 2011

  • On stage, Mr. Martinez, the Frenchman, appeared as a merman, his legs hidden by a sparkling fish tail that he ripped off to reveal a pair of shorts with sequins as scales while the 1990s pop song "This Must be Underwater Love" kicked in.

    Despite Its Bad Reputation, Pole Dancing Appeals to Men in a New Way Alistair MacDonald 2011

  • In Harryhausen's Clash, recently released in a Blu-ray special edition, the Kraken was controlled by sea god Poseidon and took the form of a gigantic merman.

    Gods, monsters revisited in 'Clash of the Titans' 2010

  • The invitation featured a school of fish trailing a merman with hair made of coral riding a sea horse.

    Plenty of Fish at the Pisces Party Marshall Heyman 2011

  • Ford 50th Anniversary TV show 1953 Decca EP merman/mart

    SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles - Part 5936 2009

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