Ephydriad

/ɪˈfɪdriəd/ noun

Definition

An individual member or specimen of the genus Ephydra or a water-dwelling tardigrade.

Etymology

From Ephydra plus the suffix '-iad,' which creates nouns meaning 'a member of' or 'an individual of a group,' similar to how 'mermaid' combines 'mer' and 'maid.'

Kelly Says

The '-iad' suffix appears in words like 'dryad' and 'naiad'—all water or nature spirits in ancient mythology—so calling a tardigrade an 'ephydriad' makes it sound mystical!

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