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Gordian knot

 - 5 dictionary results

Gor⋅di⋅an

  [gawr-dee-uhn]
–adjective
1. pertaining to Gordius, ancient king of Phrygia, who tied a knot (the Gordian knot) that, according to prophecy, was to be undone only by the person who was to rule Asia, and that was cut, rather than untied, by Alexander the Great.
2. resembling the Gordian knot in intricacy.
—Idiom
3. cut the Gordian knot, to act quickly and decisively in a difficult situation; solve a problem boldly.
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Origin:
1555–65; < L Gordi(us) (< Gk Górdios Gordius) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Gor·di·an knot   (gôr'dē-ən)   
n.  

  1. An exceedingly complicated problem or deadlock.

  2. An intricate knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword after hearing an oracle promise that whoever could undo it would be the next ruler of Asia.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

Gordian knot

A complex knot tied by a Greek king. According to legend, whoever loosed it would rule all Asia. Alexander the Great, according to some accounts, undid the Gordian knot by cutting through it with his sword.

Note: By extension, to “cut the Gordian knot” is to solve quickly any very complex problem or to get to the heart of a problem.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Gordian knot 
1561, tied by Gordius, king of Phrygia in Asia Minor, who predicted the one to loosen it would rule Asia. Instead, Alexander the Great cut the Gordian knot with his sword; hence the extended sense (1579 in Eng.) "solve a difficult problem in a quick, dramatic way."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

Gordian knot

knot that gave its name to a proverbial term for a problem solvable only by bold action. In 333 BC, Alexander the Great, on his march through Anatolia, reached Gordium, the capital of Phrygia. There he was shown the chariot of the ancient founder of the city, Gordius, with its yoke lashed to the pole by means of an intricate knot with its end hidden. According to tradition, this knot was to be untied only by the future conqueror of Asia. In the popular account, probably invented as appropriate to an impetuous warrior, Alexander sliced through the knot with his sword, but, in earlier versions, he found the ends either by cutting into the knot or by drawing out the pole. The phrase "cutting the Gordian knot" has thus come to denote a bold solution to a complicated problem.

Learn more about Gordian knot with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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