Definition of "mermaid" []

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

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Sarah, who goes by the name mermaid lady on BodySpace, took a gradual approach by first researching nutrition and exercise and talking to others about weight loss and training, then incorporating strategies for creating change."
• "The wife of a Teton (the Tetons are a tribe of American natives) deserted him, abandoned her infant to her younger brother's care, and plunged into a stream, where she became what we call a mermaid, -- and all because her husband had scolded her."
• "She was wearing what she called her mermaid outfit: long, form-fitting aquamarine sequined skirt slit nearly to the waist, halter top, shimmering cape held like angel wings,"