kən< Norwegian
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
kraken (ˈkrɑːkən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a legendary sea monster of gigantic size believed to dwell off the coast of Norway | |
| [C18: from Norwegian, of obscure origin] | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
kraken
Cite This Source
kraken
a fabulous Scandinavian sea monster perhaps imagined on the basis of chance sightings of giant squids. It appears in literature in a poem of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's juvenilia called "The Kraken." Below the thunders of the upper deep,Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleepThe Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights fleeAbout his shadowy sides; above him swell Huge sponges of millenial growth and height;And far away into the sickly light,From many a wondrous grot and secret cell Unnumber'd and enormous polypiWinnow with giant arms the slumbering green.There hath he lain for ages, and will lieBattening upon huge sea-worms in his sleep, Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;Then once by man and angels to be seen,In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die
Learn more about kraken with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
