medusa
medusa — noun
1. In Greek mythology, the only mortal sister among the three Gorgons — a monster w
In Greek mythology, the only mortal sister among the three Gorgons — a monster with living snakes for hair whose gaze could turn anyone who looked at her into stone, finally killed by the hero Perseus.
Perseus used his shiny shield as a mirror to avoid looking straight at Medusa.
classical myth narrative: shield used as mirror
Haruto drew Medusa with pointed fangs and green snakes coiling from her scalp.
Ananya read aloud the part where Medusa's severed neck gave birth to Pegasus.
A marble statue of Perseus holding Medusa's severed head stands in the town square.
Ingrid dressed as Medusa for Halloween, with rubber snakes pinned tightly into her hair.
- Gorgon
Gorgon is the broader category; Medusa is one specific Gorgon, the only mortal one
常見錯誤
2. The umbrella-shaped, free-swimming adult stage of a jellyfish or related sea cre
The umbrella-shaped, free-swimming adult stage of a jellyfish or related sea creature, during which the animal reproduces sexually — distinct from the earlier polyp stage that stays fixed to a surface.
A single medusa drifted beneath the pier, its clear bell pulsing in the morning sun.
singular countable noun: a medusa
Chiamaka spotted a tiny medusa washed up on the wet sand after high tide.
The medusae filled the bay in late summer, their stingers brushing swimmers' bare legs.
Under the lens, the young medusa looked like a crystal bell with fine threads trailing below.
When the water warms, each polyp releases dozens of tiny medusae into the open sea.
- polyp
the attached, tube-shaped asexual stage in the same life cycle
用法筆記
Distinguish from jellyfish: jellyfish is the common name for the whole animal; medusa refers specifically to the free-swimming sexual phase in the cnidarian life cycle. The plural is medusae or medusas.