medusa en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
By appellativization from Medusa.
Meanings
-
A jellyfish; specifically, a non-polyp form of individual cnidarians, consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles.
Typically, what we think of as the jellyfish, the medusa, reproduces sexually, spawning sperm and eggs which, once fertilised, turn into sea anemone-like polyps, which attach themselves to the jellyfish’s bottom or other surfaces.
2014, Theo Tait, ‘Water-Borne Zombies’, London Review of Books, volume 36, number 5:
- Synonym of worm-star.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| medusas | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| medusae | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| medusæ | Number=Plur | obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
medusa worm · medusan · medusal · stauromedusa · medusiform · medusafish · medusoid
Relateds
medusahead · cnidarian (jellyfish)
Synonyms
worm-star · non-polyp form of cnidarian (jelly, jellyfish)
Translations (34)
nl medusa (cnidarian) · pt água-viva (cnidarian) · fi meduusa (cnidarian) · lv medūza (cnidarian) · sv manet (cnidarian) · sh меду́за (cnidarian) · cs medúza (cnidarian) · es medusa (cnidarian) · sk medúza (cnidarian) · de Meduse (cnidarian) · ca medusa (cnidarian) · ast marmoca (cnidarian) · lt medūzà (cnidarian) · uk меду́за (cnidarian) · it medusa (cnidarian) · pt medusa (cnidarian) · el μέδουσα (cnidarian) · sh medúza (cnidarian) · mk медуза (cnidarian) · fr méduse (cnidarian) · ta மெதூசா (cnidarian) · io meduzo (cnidarian) · gl medusa (cnidarian) · kk медуза (cnidarian) · yi מעדוזע (cnidarian) · ast aguamala (cnidarian) · ru меду́за (cnidarian) · la medūsa (cnidarian) · pt alforreca (cnidarian) · bg меду́за (cnidarian) · hu medúza (cnidarian) · eo meduzo (cnidarian) · izh meduza (cnidarian) · ro meduză (cnidarian)