The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word NEREID
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
N
E
R
E
I
D
More clues leading to the result NEREID
- Sea nymph entangled in reed
- Nymph originally nameless before getting identification
- Satellite dish rented out, without Sky having the deal, initially
- Sea nymph: I need to swim around river
- Worm turning contributes to bloodier encounter
- Geordie Socialist, say, embracing one nymph
- Nymph that is about to interrupt boring person
- It orbits Neptune before appearing in November papers
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "it orbits Neptune" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case it orbits neptune = nereid.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NEREID mean?
NEREID noun- One of 50 sea nymphs who were attendants upon Poseidon (Neptune), and were represented as riding on sea horses, sometimes in human form and sometimes with the tail of a fish.
- A worm of the genus Nereis, having sharp retractable jaws and an annelid body.