Cryptid
//ˈkɹɪp.tɪd// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A creature known only from folklore or legend, the existence of which is not proven by scientific observation.
"Now comes perhaps the cleverest tag of all: cryptozoology. It refers to the search for new animals, animals dwelling in unexpected places, and most importantly for "X-Files" scriptwriters, "cryptids"—legendary creatures such as the yeti."
Example
More examples"Ziri never had an experience with a cryptid."
Etymology
From crypt + -id. Coined by John E. Wall in 1983 in the ISC Newsletter.
More for "cryptid"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.