medusa

¹

[ muh-doo-suh, -zuh, -dyoo- ]

noun

, Zoology.

, plural me·du·sas, me·du·sae [m, uh, -, doo, -see, -zee, -, dyoo, -].

1. a saucer-shaped or dome-shaped, free-swimming jellyfish or hydra.

Medusa

²

[ muh-doo-suh, -zuh, -dyoo- ]

noun

, Classical Mythology.

, plural Me·du·sas.

1. the only mortal of the three Gorgons. She was killed by Perseus, and her head was mounted upon the aegis of Zeus and Athena.

Medusa

¹

/ mɪˈdjuːzə /

noun

1. 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

medusa

²

/ mɪˈdjuːzə /

noun

1. another name for jellyfish jellyfish
2. Also calledmedusoidmedusan 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

medusa

/ mĭ-do̅o̅′sə /

, Plural medusas mĭ-do̅o̅′sē

1. 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.
2. Compare polyp

Medusa

1. 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.

Derived Forms

• Meˈdusan, adjective
• meˈdusan, adjective

Other Words From

• me·du·soid [m, uh, -, doo, -soid, -, dyoo, -], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of medusa¹

1750–60; special use of Medusa, alluding to the Gorgon's snaky locks

Origin of medusa²

< Latin < Greek Médousa, special use of médousa, feminine of médōn ruling

Word History and Origins

Origin of medusa¹

C18: from the likeness of its tentacles to the snaky locks of Medusa

Example Sentences

Watch her three short films — “Medusa,” “Hannahs” and “If Found,” all available on YouTube — and you’ll glimpse the unobtrusive, observant style she brings to “Good One,” which captures the still-festering male rivalry between middle-aged friends.

From Los Angeles Times

A fountain bearing a relief of Medusa’s head pours into the koi pond in the backyard.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re all the tools of Doll’s trade — a trade where appearances are everything, especially for a Black trans woman known as the Seattle Medusa.

From Seattle Times

Four people died and 16 were injured in the incident at the Medusa Beach Club.

From BBC

Several years ago, when Nataly Gruender was studying classics as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, she started to wonder if there was more to Medusa’s story.

From New York Times