noun
- Plural of dryad; in Greek mythology, tree nymphs or spirits believed to inhabit and protect trees.
Usage: mythology; classical; often capitalized
Examples
- In ancient Greek mythology, the dryades were said to live within the trunks of oak and pine trees.
- The poet invoked the dryades to bless the sacred grove.
- According to legend, when a tree was cut down, its dryad would perish along with it.
- The dryades of the forest were depicted as beautiful maidens in classical art.
- Ovid's Metamorphoses contains many tales of the dryades and their interactions with mortals.