Gender Feminine Usage Literature Pronounced Pron. /nə.ˈɹɪs.ə/(English) Meaning & History Created by Shakespeare for a character in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596). He possibly took it from Greek Νηρηΐς (nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god NEREUS, who supposedly fathered them.