merfriend

Etymology

From mer- + friend.

Why this word is great

MERFRIEND — [Noun] A friend who is a merperson. From mer- (prefix denoting relation to the sea or merpeople) + friend ("companion"). Unlike "mermaid" (a mythical figure often distant, ornamental) or "acquaintance" (a surface-level bond, devoid of magic), a merfriend is both wondrous and intimate. It is the glint of scales in sunlit shallows as they beckon you deeper, the shared laughter muffled by seawater, the gift of a pearl pressed into your palm with webbed fingers—proof that even the most alien of hearts can learn the language of yours.

noun

  1. A friend who is a merperson.““I told you that you are the best merfriend ever. Let's go sit with her and make her feel at home.””