мавка

• на́вка (návka)
• ня́вка (njávka)

Originally навка, derived from Proto-Slavic *navь (“deceased”). Later forms мавка and нявка likely come from association with the words мали́й (malýj, “small”) and нявкати (njavkaty, “to meow”).

• IPA^(key): [ˈmau̯kɐ]

ма́вка • (mávka) f pers (genitive ма́вки, nominative plural ма́вки, genitive plural ма́вок)

1. (Ukrainian mythology) a forest nymph
2. (rare) water nymph, mermaid, rusalka

   Synonym: руса́лка (rusálka)

• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1989), “ма́вка”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volumes 3 (Кора – М), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN, page 349
• Hrinchenko, Borys, editor (1907–1909), “ма́вка”, in Словарь украинского языка [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Russian), Kyiv: Kievskaya starina
• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “ма́вка”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Shyrokov, V. A., editor (2010–2023), “ма́вка”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1–14 (а – префере́нція), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka; Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund, →ISBN