medusa

medusa — 名詞

1. In Greek mythology, the only mortal sister among the three Gorgons — a monster w

1.名詞B2
釋義

美杜莎

希臘神話中被珀爾修斯斬首的蛇髮女妖

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.

例句

Perseus used his shiny shield as a mirror to avoid looking straight at Medusa.

珀爾修斯用他閃亮的盾牌當作鏡子,避免直視美杜莎。

classical myth narrative: shield used as mirror

Haruto drew Medusa with pointed fangs and green snakes coiling from her scalp.

晴人畫了美杜莎,她長著尖牙,綠色的蛇從頭皮上盤繞而出。

同義詞
  • Gorgon

    Gorgon is the broader category; Medusa is one specific Gorgon, the only mortal one

常見錯誤

Medusa is the name for all three Gorgon sisters.
Medusa is the name of only one Gorgon
💡the mortal one. Her immortal sisters were Stheno and Euryale.' — Medusa refers to a specific individual, not the whole group.

2. The umbrella-shaped, free-swimming adult stage of a jellyfish or related sea cre

2.名詞C1
釋義

水母體

刺絲胞動物生命週期中的傘狀自由游泳階段

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.

例句

A single medusa drifted beneath the pier, its clear bell pulsing in the morning sun.

一隻水母體漂到碼頭下方,透明的傘狀體在晨光中輕輕搏動。

singular countable noun: a medusa

Chiamaka spotted a tiny medusa washed up on the wet sand after high tide.

奇亞瑪卡發現一隻小水母體被沖上退潮後的濕沙灘。

反義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

We saw a medusa at the aquarium.' (when pointing at any jellyfish)
We saw a jellyfish at the aquarium.
💡medusa names a life-cycle stage, not the everyday term for the animal.