Link Centre Dictionary

Hydra

UK/ˈhaɪ̯dɹə/ US/ˈhaɪ̯dɹə/ fairly common

noun

1.

(Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones

  • “Hydra was slain by Hercules”
2.
3.

trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality

  • “we may be facing a hydra that defies any easy solution”
4.

Origin

After the Hydra, from Greek mythology, which grew two new heads every time one of its heads was cut off. The biology sense alludes to the budding method of asexual reproduction that the hydra practices, similar to growing new heads. The figurative sense refers to how the creature could not be killed by a swift, decisive solution (in contrast to a Gordian knot).

Phrases

  • brown hydra
  • freshwater hydra
  • green hydra

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.