merchild

merchild

English

Etymology

From mer- +‎ child.

Noun

merchild (plural merchildren)

1. The young of either sex of a legendary creature, human from the waist up, fishlike from the waist down.
   • 1904, Thomas Bird Mosher, The Bibelot, p. 160:

     The fish-tailed merchild carved in crumbling stone
     Wreathed with loose straggling roses, reigns alone...

   • 2003, Liz Kessler, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 57:

     There were mermaids with gold chains around slinky long tails, swimming along with little merchildren.

   • 2003, Debbie Viguié, Midnight Pearls, Simon Pulse (2003), →ISBN, page 80:

     He shuddered as he thought about all the stories he had heard as a young merchild.

Synonyms

• merkid

Hyponyms

• merbaby
• merteen