medusa

/məˈduːsə/
noun
  1. A jellyfish, especially one with a bell-shaped body and tentacles.
    • A medusa can sting swimmers with its long, trailing tentacles.
    • During our beach vacation, we saw a large medusa washed up on the sand.
    • The aquarium's tank was full of colorful medusae drifting through the water.
  2. In Greek mythology, a monster with snakes for hair whose gaze turned people to stone.
    • The ancient statue showed Medusa with her hair of writhing snakes.
    • In the story, Perseus defeated Medusa by looking at her reflection in his shield.
    • Many artists have painted the terrifying face of Medusa over the centuries.
Synonyms
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