Medusa Definition

mĭ-do͝osə, -zə, -dyo͝o-
medusae, medusas
noun
medusas
A body form of certain cnidarians such as jellyfish, consisting of a dome-shaped structure with a mouth underneath surrounded by tentacles, and in most species constituting the free-swimming sexual stage of the organism.
American Heritage
One of the three Gorgons, slain by Perseus.
Webster's New World

Jellyfish.

Webster's New World
Synonyms:
pronoun

(Greek mythology): The only mortal of the three gorgon sisters. She is killed by Perseus. The other two sisters were Euryale and Stheno.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Medusa

Noun

Singular:
medusa
Plural:
medusae, medusas

Origin of Medusa

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

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Latin Medūsa Medusa (from the Medusa's snaky locks) Medusa

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Ancient Greek Μέδουσα (Medousa).

    From Wiktionary

Medusa Sentence Examples

  • The endoderm of the medusa shows the same general types of structure as in the polyp, described above.

  • Balfour put forward the view that the polyp was the more primitive type, and that the medusa is a special modification of the polyp for reproductive purposes, the result of division of labour in a polypcolony, whereby special reproductive persons become detached and acquire organs of locomotion for spreading the species.

  • By Haeckel they are considered homologous with the umbrella of a medusa.

  • It is evident that the outer envelope of the gonophore represents the ex-umbral ectoderm (ex.), and that the inner ectoderm lining the cavity represents the sub-umbral ectoderm of the free medusa.

  • Finally, a mouth is formed by breaking through at the apex of the manubrium, and the now fully-formed medusa becomes separated by rupture of the stalk of the bud and swims away.

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Words Starting With

MMEMED

Words Ending With

ASAUSA

Unscrambles

medusa

Words Starting With M and Ending With A

Starts With M & Ends With AStarts With ME & Ends With AStarts With M & Ends With SA

Word Length

6 Letter Words6 Letter Words Starting With M6 Letter Words Ending With A