in mythology, an appellation given to certain inferior godesses, inhabiting the mountains, wood, waters, &c. said to be the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. All the universe was represented as full of these nymphs, who are distinguished into several ranks or classes. The general division of them is into celestial and terrestrial; the former of which were called uranies, and were supposed to be intelligences that governed the heavenly bodies or spheres. The terrestrial nymphs, called epigies, presided over the several parts of the inferior world; and were divided into those of the water, and those of the earth. The nymphs of the water were the oceanitides, or nymphs of the ocean; the nereids, the nymphs of the sea; the naiads and ephyriades, the nymphs of the fountains; and the limniades, or nymphs of the lakes. The nymphs of the earth were the oreades, or nymphs of the mountains; the napae, nymphs of the meadows; and the dryads and hamadryads, who were nymphs of the forests and groves. Besides these, we meet with nymphs who took their names from particular countries, rivers, &c. as the citheroniades, so called from mount Citheron in Boeotia; the dodonides, from Dodona; tiberiades, from the Tiber, &c.—Goats were sometimes sacrificed to the nymphs; but their constant offerings were milk, oil, honey, and wine.

among naturalists, that state of winged-insects between their living in the form of a worm, and Nymphæa, their appearing in the winged or most perfect state.

The eggs of insects are first hatched into a kind of worms, or maggots; which afterwards pass into the nymph-state, surrounded with shells or cases of their own skins: so that, in reality, these nymphs are only the embryo insects, wrapped up in this covering; from whence they at last get loose, though not without great difficulty.

During this nymph-state the creature loses its motion. Swammerdam calls it nympha aurelia, or simply aurelia; and others give it the name of chrysalis, a term of the like import. See the article CHRYSALIS.

NYMPHÆ, in anatomy, two membranaceous parts, situated on each side the rima. They are of a red colour, and cavernous structure, somewhat resembling the wattles under a cock's throat. They are sometimes smaller, sometimes larger; and are continuous to the prepuce of the clitoris, and joined to the interior side of the labia.

NYMPHÆA, the WATER-LILY; a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the polyandria clas of plants. There are four species; of which the most remarkable are, 1. 2. The lutes and alba, or yellow and white water-lilies; both of which are natives of Britain, growing in lakes and ditches. Linnaeus tells us, that swine are fond of the leaves and roots of the former; and that the smoke of it will drive away crickets and blattæ, or cock-roaches, out of houses.—The root of the second has an astringent and bitter taste, like those of most aquatic plants that run deep into the mud. The Highlanders make a dye with it of a dark chestnut colour. 3. In the East and West Indies grows a species of this plant, named netumbo by the inhabitants of Ceylon. The leaves which rest upon the surface of the water, are smooth, undivided, perfectly round, thick, target-shaped, and about one foot and a half in diameter. The footstalk of the leaves is prickly; and inserted, not into their base, or margin, as in most plants, but in the centre of the lower disk or surface. From this centre, upon the upper surface, issue, like rays, a great number of large ribs, or nerves, which towards the circumference are divided and subdivided into a small number of very minute parts. The flowers are large, flesh-coloured, and consist of numerous petals, disposed, as in the other species of water-lily, in two or more rows. The seed-vessel is shaped like a top, being broad and circular above, narrow and almost pointed below. It is divided into several distinct cells, which form so many large round holes upon the surface of the fruit; each containing a single seed.—With the flower of this plant, which is sacred among the heathens, they adorn the altars of their temples; they paint their gods sitting upon it; and make use of such pictures to animate the minds of the pious on their death-bed, and to raise their affections to heaven. The stalks, which are used as a pot-herb, are of a wonderful length. The root is very long, extends itself transversely, is of the thickness of a man's arm, jointed and fibrous, with long intervals between the joints. The fibres surround the joints in verticilli, or whirls.