hydra en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈhaɪdɹə/
- hī'drə
Etymology
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).
Meanings
- A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
- Any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera, having a naked cylindrical body and an oral opening surrounded by tentacles.
-
(figuratively) A complex, multifarious problem or situation that cannot be easily and rapidly solved.
Because the statute is so vaguely worded, award decisions are habitually based on case law, the growing mountain of which is a hydra of rulings that point in so many directions that almost any decision can be defended or overturned on appeal, depending on how smart your lawyer is and which precedent he selects to argue your case.
2009, Kris Frieswick, Till Death Do Us Pay:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hydrae | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| hydras | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| hydræ | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
hydriform · freshwater hydra · hydralike · hydranth · green hydra · brown hydra · microhydra
Translations (28)
fr hydre (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · tr hidra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · cs nezmar (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · vi thuỷ tức (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · uk гі́дра (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · ja ヒドラ (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · th ไฮดรา (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · te హైడ్రా (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · pt bicho de sete cabeças (complex, multifarious problem) · gl hidra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · bg хи́дра (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · ru ги́дра (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · hu hidra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · gl hidra (complex, multifarious problem) · de Hydra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · cmn 水螅 (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · be гі́дра (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · es hydra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · ro hidră (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · mi hurumoana (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · pt hidra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · pl stułbia (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · ko 히드라 (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · la hydra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · fi ongelmavyyhti (complex, multifarious problem) · sv hydra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · fi lampipolyyppi (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera) · tl idra (any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera)