dryad

American  

[drahy-uhd, -ad] / ˈdraɪ əd, -æd /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

plural

dryads, dryades

1. a deity or nymph of the woods.

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dryad British  

/ ˈdraɪəd, -æd, draɪˈædɪk /

noun

1. Greek myth a nymph or divinity of the woods

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Other Word Forms

• dryadic adjective

Etymology

Origin of dryad

1545–55; extracted from Greek Dryádes, plural of Dryás, derivative of drŷ ( s ) tree, oak

Explanation

A dryad is a fairy-like mythological creature. Dryads are known as tree spirits in Greek mythology. Greek myths link dryads specifically with oak trees, and the Greek root of dryad is drus, or "oak." Some dryads were so connected to their trees that if the tree died, they died too — as a result, Greek gods were stern with mortals who harmed trees. Dryads appear in many works of literature, from Milton's Paradise Lost to the ballet Don Quixote.

Example Sentences

Brilliantly rendered by Rebecca Benson, she shins up trees like a dryad, only to be told by her would-be boyfriend, "you smell like an infected bandage".

From The Guardian • Jun. 15, 2013

If you stray off the path a jean-clad dryad yells you back on the right course.

From The Guardian • Aug. 25, 2012

A dryad brought him bread made from walnuts and a bowl of crushed apricots stewed with honey.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

In the books she read, every stream might be a river god, every tree a dryad in disguise, every old woman a powerful fairy, every pebble an enchanted soul.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

“I thought dryad wood doesn’t burn,” Christopher said.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell