dryad

IPA/ˈdraɪæd/
IPA/ˈdraɪæd/

dryad — noun

  • dryadsingular
  • dryadsplural

1. a female nature spirit from ancient Greek mythology whose life is connected to a

1.nounC1
Definition

a female nature spirit from ancient Greek mythology whose life is connected to a single tree, so that she is born with the tree and dies when it is cut down

Example

In the story, a dryad named Aylin lived inside an old oak tree in the forest.

a dryad named [Name] + lived inside [tree] — shows dwelling pattern

Zola learned that a dryad dies if someone cuts down the tree she calls home.

dryad dies + cuts down [her] tree — shows life-bond

Common collocations
  • ancient dryad
  • woodland dryad
  • dryad's tree
  • a dryad protects
  • the dryad dwells
  • a dryad lives in
  • a dryad of the forest
Synonyms
  • nymph

    broader category; dryads are a specific type of nymph tied to trees, while nymphs also include water, mountain, and meadow spirits

  • wood nymph

    a close synonym, though wood nymph can refer to any forest nymph, not specifically a tree-bound one

  • hamadryad

    a more specific term for a dryad whose life is fully bound to one particular tree — the tree and the spirit cannot survive apart

  • forest spirit

    a more general modern term that can include dryads but also refers to other non-human beings of the woods

Grammar Patterns

dryad + verb (lives / protects / dwells)

a dryad of [tree species / forest]

Usage Note

In traditional Greek mythology, a dryad's life is tied to one specific tree — when the tree dies, the dryad dies. In modern fantasy writing, the term is sometimes used more loosely to mean any forest spirit or wood nymph. All dryads are nymphs, but not all nymphs are dryads.

Common Mistakes

I read about a dryad that guarded the river.
I read about a dryad that lived inside a chestnut tree.
Dryads are tree spirits, not water spirits (those are called naiads).
The dryad drank from the stream.
The dryad stepped out from behind the oak tree.
A dryad is always associated with a tree, especially an oak.

Word family

  • dryadic
    adjectiveC2
  • hamadryad
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A dryad is a specific type of nymph from Greek mythology, bound to a single tree. The general term nymph covers many nature spirits — including naiads (water), oreads (mountains), and dryads (trees). Wood nymph is a looser English equivalent that can describe any forest-dwelling nymph in folklore, but it lacks the specific tree-bond of the Greek dryad. Hamadryad is the most precise term: a hamadryad's life is completely fused with one tree — if the tree is felled, the hamadryad dies immediately. Forest spirit is the broadest modern term, covering dryads, fairies, and other mythical woodland beings, and is the least specialized. For example, you could say 'the ancient oak was home to a dryad' or 'the forest spirit gently guided travelers,' but only the first sentence implies a Greek mythological tree-nymph.

nymph ↗wood nymphhamadryadforest spirit

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • wood nymph
  • tree nymph
  • forest spirit
  • tree spirit

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Dryad comes from the Greek word druas (δρυάς), which means 'oak nymph' or 'tree nymph.' The root is drus (δρῦς), meaning 'oak' or 'tree,' a word that also gives us 'druid' (since druids were associated with oak groves). English adopted the term through Latin dryas, dryadis. The word has been used in English since the 14th century to describe these tree-dwelling spirits from classical mythology.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined above