water nymph

a nymph of the water, as a naiad, a Nereid, or an Oceanid.

any aquatic plant of the genus Najas, having narrow, opposite leaves.

Origin of water nymph

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Ask the water-nymph to rise dripping from yonder fountain, and exchange a moist pressure of the hand with me!

The Marble Faun, Volume I. |Nathaniel Hawthorne
A mermaid, a water-nymph, a little white-shouldered Undine was peeping up and mocking him!

The Boy with Wings |Berta Ruck
The rock known as the Lurlie was the resort of a water-nymph, who was about as capricious as other nymphs.

Nasby in Exile |David R. Locke
The eyes of the water-nymph blinked at him through wet-fringed lids.

The Mermaid |Lily Dougall

Yes; they emerge like a water-nymph and a river-deity, and paddle hand in hand out of the depths of the dark pool.

Twice Told Tales |Nathaniel Hawthorne

water nymph

any fabled nymph of the water, such as the Naiad, Nereid, or Oceanid of Greek mythology

any of various aquatic plants, esp a water lily or a naiad