Save Gender Feminine Usage Spanish (Rare) Pronounced Pron. NAH-yah-dheh [key] Meaning & History From the Spanish word náyade meaning "Naiad", which is a river nymph in Greek and Roman mythology; it derives from Greek Ναιάς (Naias) (plural Ναϊάδες (Naiades)), itself a derivative of the verb νάω (nao) "to flow".