merrow en · NOUN · etymology 1
Etymology
Hiberno-English, from Irish murúch (“mermaid”).
Meanings
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(qualifier:Celtic mythology) A merman or mermaid in Scottish and Irish Gaelic folklore.
Many a strange sight, it may well be supposed, did Jack see, and many a strange sound did he hear, but nothing daunted him. So far was he from being afraid of Merrows, or such like beings, that the very first wish of his heart was fairly to meet with one. Jack had heard that they were mighty like Christians, and that luck had always come out of an acquaintance with them. Never, therefore, did he dimly discern the Merrows moving along the face of the waters in their robes of mist, but he made direct for them; and many a scolding did Biddy, in her own quiet way, bestow upon Jack for spending his whole day out at sea, and bringing home no fish.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 528:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| merrows | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Translations (2)
fr merrow (Translations) · pl moruadh (Translations)