medusa
a saucer-shaped or dome-shaped, free-swimming jellyfish or hydra.
Origin of medusa
1Other words from medusa
- me·du·soid [muh-doo-soid, -dyoo-], /məˈdu sɔɪd, -ˈdyu-/, adjective
Other definitions for Medusa (2 of 2)
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 of Medusa
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use medusa in a sentence
A Medusas head in terra-cotta; exquisite and of unusually careful workmanship.
The Story of Perugia | Margaret SymondsBeneath this is the Medusas head, from which spring two volutes, ending in small silver flowers.
Spanish Arms and Armour | Albert F. CalvertHer face and those of the majestic solemn-eyed Medusas are the most interesting treasures of the tomb.
Pictures in Umbria | Katharine S. (Katharine Sarah) MacquoidPoor dwarf, unlike Mallare he has not learned that suffering is an illusion, that couches and Medusas are illusions.
Fantazius Mallare | Ben HechtDirectly afterwards we found ourselves in a shoal of medusas or jellyfish.
My First Voyage to Southern Seas | W.H.G. Kingston
British Dictionary definitions for medusa (1 of 2)
/ (mɪˈdjuːzə) /
another name for jellyfish (def. 1), jellyfish (def. 2)
Also called: medusoid, medusan one of the two forms in which a coelenterate exists. It has a jelly-like umbrella-shaped body, is free swimming, and produces gametes: Compare polyp
Origin of medusa
1Derived forms of medusa
- medusan, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Medusa (2 of 2)
/ (mɪˈdjuːzə) /
Greek myth a mortal woman who was transformed by Athena into one of the three Gorgons. Her appearance was so hideous that those who looked directly at her were turned to stone. Perseus eventually slew her: See also Pegasus 1
Derived forms of Medusa
- Medusan, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for medusa
[ mĭ-dōō′sə ]
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for 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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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