medusa, medusoid, medusan
(noun) one of two forms that coelenterates take: it is the free-swimming sexual phase in the life cycle of a coelenterate; in this phase it has a gelatinous umbrella-shaped body and tentacles
Medusa
(noun) (Greek mythology) a woman transformed into a Gorgon by Athena; she was slain by Perseus
Source: WordNet® 3.1
medusa (plural medusas or medusae or medusæ)
A jellyfish; specifically (zoology), a non-polyp form of individual cnidarians, consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. [from 18th c.]
• (non-polyp form of cnidarian): jelly, jellyfish
• amused, sea mud
Medusa
(Greek mythology) The only mortal of the three gorgon sisters. She is killed by Perseus. The other two sisters were Euryale and Stheno.
• amused, sea mud
Source: Wiktionary
Me*du"sa, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.)
Definition: The Gorgon; or one of the Gorgons whose hair was changed into serpents, after which all who looked upon her were turned into stone.
2. [pl. Medusae (.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish.
Note: The larger medusæ belong to the Discophora, and are sometimes called covered-eyed medusæ; others, known as naked-eyed medusæ, belong to the Hydroidea, and are usually developed by budding from hidroids. See Discophora, Hydroidea, and Hydromedusa. Medusa bud (Zoöl.), one of the buds of a hydroid, destined to develop into a gonophore or medusa. See Athecata, and Gonotheca.
– Medusa's head. (a) (Zoöl.) An astrophyton. (b) (Astron.) A cluster of stars in the constellation Perseus. It contains the bright star Algol.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
21 April 2025
(noun) a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.
