merwife

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English

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Etymology

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From Old English merewīf (water witch, mermaid), from Proto-West Germanic *mariwīb, from Proto-Germanic *mariwībą (mermaid, siren). By surface analysis, mer- +‎ wife. Cognate with Old High German meriwīb.

Noun

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merwife (plural merwives)

  1. A mermaid.