different between merfather vs merman

English

Etymology

From mer- +? father.

Noun

merfather (plural merfathers)

1. (fantasy) A father merman.
   • 1882, E. L. P, Elfie Under the Sea and Other Stories, Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. (1882), page 21:

     "I shall never see my merfather or my mermother any more, or the mermaids, or the fish-king, or the merry dolphins, or-r-r-r " —

     "Never mind!" cried Elfie, crying too, and she put her arms around the sad little mermaid's neck.

   • 2004, Vicki Blum, The Mermaid Secret, Scholastic (2004), ?ISBN, page 63:

     "Danya, you think if you believe in your merfather and Ayralon, it's like rejecting your parents. Especially your stepfather. Is that true?"

   • 2006, Roger Ebert, "'Aquamarine'", Orange County Register, 3 March 2006:

     Two eighth-graders (Emma Roberts and JoJo) befriend a mermaid (Sara Paxton) who has three days to prove to her merfather that love exists.

Coordinate terms

• mermother

English

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -??(r)m?n

Noun

merman (plural mermen)

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

Synonyms

• merguy (informal)

Hypernyms

• merperson

Hyponyms

• merboy
• merfather

Translations

See also

• mermaid
• merfolk

Anagrams

• Nammer

Spanish

Verb

merman

1. Second-person plural (ustedes) present indicative form of mermar.
2. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present indicative form of mermar.