Gorgon

[ gawr-guhn ]

noun

1. Classical Mythology. any of three sister monsters commonly represented as having snakes for hair, wings, brazen claws, and eyes that turned anyone looking into them to stone. Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, was beheaded by Perseus.
2. (lowercase) a mean, ugly, or repulsive woman.

Gorgon

/ ˈɡɔːɡən /

noun

1. Greek myth any of three winged monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, who had live snakes for hair, huge teeth, and brazen claws
2. informal.
   often not capital a fierce or unpleasant woman

Other Words From

• Gor·goni·an [gawr-, goh, -nee-, uh, n], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gorgon¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin Gorgōn < Greek Gorgṓ, derivative of gorgós dreadful

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gorgon¹

via Latin Gorgō from Greek, from gorgos terrible

Example Sentences

For centuries, the Greek Gorgon Medusa has been cast as a vicious monster, a beastly woman with writhing snakes for hair and a deadly gaze that turns living creatures to stone.

From New York Times

I was stuck in bed with methicillin-resistant cellulitis, reeling over the forced cancellation of a trip to Brazil, when a friend reached out with a consolation prize: tickets to Gorgon City at the Shrine Auditorium.

From Los Angeles Times

Night-shift workers at Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities voted to restart strikes in the afternoon meeting, the Offshore Alliance, a coalition of two unions, said in a statement.

From Reuters

Night-shift workers at Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities voted to restart strikes in the afternoon meeting, the offshore alliance, a coalition of two unions, said in a statement.

From Reuters

They were like “snake hair on the Gorgon’s head,” Adameyko and colleagues report today in Current Biology.

From Science Magazine