The word "heteronereid" is spelled as "heh-tuh-roh-neer-eed". The IPA phonetic transcription of this word is /ˌhɛtəroʊˈnɪrɪd/. The word is composed of two parts, "hetero" meaning "other" or "different" and "nereid" referring to a type of sea nymph from Greek mythology. The suffix "id" is added to "nereid" to indicate a member of a particular group. Therefore, "heteronereid" is a term used to describe a type of nereid that is different or distinct from others in this group.