In mythology, a beautiful female spirit or goddess living in nature; also the young form of certain insects before they become adults.
From Greek 'nymphe' (bride, young woman), possibly related to 'nuein' (to veil). The mythological sense dates to ancient Greek culture, while the entomological sense developed in the 1600s.
Entomologists borrowed the word 'nymph' for young insects because the transformation seemed magical to them—just like the mythical nymphs were transitional beings, a nymph insect is in a magical transformation toward becoming an adult.
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