hydra
A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimedA dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
» Hydra is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Algiers.
Amastan · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 sensesA 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.
Hydra
ги́драgídra
гі́драhídra
(figuratively)A complex, multifarious problem or situation that cannot be easily and rapidly solved.
- small tubular solitary freshwater hydrozoan polyp
- trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality
- a long faint constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer
- (Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones
Examples
2 sentencesHydra is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Algiers.
"The lizard dares to face the hydra" means something like "His opponent is too strong for him to face."
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
After the Hydra, from Greek mythology, which grew two new heads every time one of its headAfter 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).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: hydras / hydraeSynonyms
2 synonyms- a long faint constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer:Snake
- (Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones:Lernaean Hydra
Word family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Plural nouns — Because its plural is irregular
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.