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medusa

 - 7 dictionary results

me⋅du⋅sa

  [muh-doo-suh, -zuh, -dyoo-]
Use medusa in a Sentence
–noun, plural -sas, -sae  [-see, -zee] . Zoology.
a saucer-shaped or dome-shaped, free-swimming jellyfish or hydra.
Origin:
1750–60; special use of Medusa, alluding to the Gorgon's snaky locks

Related forms:
me⋅du⋅soid  [muh-doo-soid, -dyoo-] , adjective

Me⋅du⋅sa

  [muh-doo-suh, -zuh, -dyoo-]
–noun, plural -sas. Classical Mythology.
the only mortal of the three Gorgons. She was killed by Perseus, and her head was mounted upon the aegis of Zeus and Athena.
Origin:
< L < Gk Médousa, special use of médousa, fem. of médōn ruling
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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me·du·sa   (mĭ-dōō'sə, -zə, -dyōō'-)   
n.   pl. me·du·sas or me·du·sae (-sē, -zē)
The tentacled, usually bell-shaped, free-swimming sexual stage in the life cycle of a coelenterate, such as a jellyfish.

[Latin Medūsa, Medusa (from the Medusa's snaky locks); see Medusa.]
Me·dus·a   (mĭ-dōō'sə,-zə, -dyōō'-)   
n.   pl. Me·du·sas or Me·du·sae (-sē, -zē) Greek Mythology
The Gorgon who was killed by Perseus.

[Middle English Meduse, from Latin Medūsa, from Greek Medousa, from feminine present participle of medein, to protect, rule over; see med- in Indo-European roots.]
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

Medusa [(mi-dooh-suh, mi-dooh-zuh)]

The best known of the monster Gorgons of classical mythology; people who looked at her would turn to stone. A hero, Perseus, was able to kill Medusa, aiming his sword by looking at her reflection in a highly polished shield.

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

medusa 
"jellyfish," 1758, as genus name, from the name of one of the three Gorgons with snakes for hair, whose glance turned to stone him who looked upon it (attested in Eng. from 1390). Her name is from Gk. Medousa, lit. "guardian," fem. prp. of the verb medein "to protect, rule over" (see Medea). The zoological name was chosen by Linnæus, suggested by the creature's long tentacles.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
medusa   (mĭ-d'sə)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural medusas or medusae (mĭ-d'sē)
A cnidarian in its free-swimming stage. Medusas are bell-shaped, with tentacles hanging down around a central mouth. Jellyfish are medusas, while corals and sea anemones lack a medusa stage and exist only as polyps. Compare polyp.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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